'O y^i^o 




II' 



^f'i 



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^■^y!/.^^.,!^ 



M 




Cliffs of the Col-umbia. 



(See Page 327.) 



-g^ 



* 



Wo A^P y 50, *^- 



^^p JBow^ 






WITH 



gKETCHE3 IN Hmz@m, NEW MEXIC®, HND 



EMMA H. ADAMS, 

Author of "Digging the Top Off," and othick Stories. 



:: 



iLLiUSTI^AIiBD. 



CRANSTON & STOWE, 



Cincinnati, 



* 



Chicago, 



St. Louis. 



^l 



Copyright by 

EMMA HILDRETH ADAMS, 

1888. 



?1M 



PgEF^C^E. 



To have been eyes and ears for a multitude of 
persons, during a period of three years, is to 
have possessed a high privilege. Such a franchise 
was afforded the author of this work for an inter- 
val of about that length, which ended near the 
close of 1886. Occupied as the correspondent of 
several leading dailies, and also as an occasional 
contributor to prominent religious journals, she 
traversed almost the entire American Pacific Coast, 
with the exception of Alaska, ever bearing her 
readers in mind. 

The title of this book aptly expresses the char- 
acter of its contents. Its chapters form a series of 
sketches, picturing such only of the scenes, events, 
incidents, industries, enterprises, institutions, and 
people of the coast as came within the writer's ob- 
servation or knowledge, and as, it is believed, will 
contribute most to the service and enjoyment of 
the reader. 

The favor with which the writer's communica- 
tions to the press were received, together with 
frequent urgings to put into book form her pains- 
taking studies of our Western border-land, have 



2 PREFACE. 

resulted iu the volume now offered the public. In a 
new relation, therefore, will she continue to be eyes 
and ears for other multitudes, whom opportunity may 
not yet have favored with a sight of the almost end- 
less wonders of the Pacific States, and also to many 
besides, who, having seen them, may be glad to 
refresh their memory of them through these pictures 
of the pen and of the engraver's eloquent art. 

E. H. A. 




C O I^ T K ]^ T S . 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE. 

Westward Bound, 11 

CHAPTER 11. 
The Southward Run, 17 

CHAPTER III. 
It 's To-day and Yesterday, 21 

CHAPTER IV. 
Old Times and Present Resources, 27 

CHAPTER V. 
The Church and School-house are the Pioneers, . . 34 

CHAPTER VI. 
Incidents of the Second Journey, 39 

CHAPTER VII. 
From Deming to Tucson, 45 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Arizona, 61 

CHAPTER IX. 

Tucson, 57 

3 



4 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER X. 

FAOB. 

From Tucson to Los Angeles, 60 

CHAPTER XI. 
The City of Los Angeles, 64 

CHAPTER XIL 
Invalids in Southern California, 74 

CHAPTER XIII. 
What Shall We Wear? 82 

CHAPTER XIV. 
A Former Home of General and Mrs. Hancock, . . 85 

CHAPTER XV. 
California's Great Historian, 92 

CHAPTER XVI. 
An III Wind that Blew Good, 104 

CHAPTER XVII. 
A Singular Character, 120 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
The Native Californians 128 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Schools of Los Angeles, 136 

CHAPTER XX. 
A Noble Pioneer, 146 



CONTENTS. 5 

CHAPTER XXI. 

PAGE. 

Colonization Schemes, 165 

CHAPTER XXII. 
Vineyards and Orange Groves, 181 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

The Picos and the Surrender of Cahuenga, .... 193 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
Time Beguiles You, 202 

CHAPTER XXV. 
A Minister to the Lowliest, 209 

CHAPTER XXVI. 
Roses — Pampas Grass — The Datura Arborea, . . . 219 

CHAPTER XXVII. 
Women as Cultivators of the Soil, 227 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 
San Pedro 237 

CHAPTER XXIX. 
In the Santiago Canon, 248 

CHAPTER XXX. 
A Wonderful Flower Festival, 258 

CHAPTER XXXI, 

From Los Angeles to San Francisco J67 



6 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEK XXXII. 

PAGE. 

From San Francisco to Portland by i3ea, 281 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 
Portland on the Willamette, 296 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 
The Salmon Industry of the Columbia, 309 

CHAPTER XXXV. 
Some of Nature's Masterpieces in the Cascade 

Range, 322 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 
In the Columbia Basin, 339 

• CHAPTER XXXVII. 
A Noble Woman — What She Did — How She Did It, 351 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
Oregon's Capital — Prune-culture, 362 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 
Schemes Aired Continually, 375 

CHAPTER XL. 
Living Oregon Pioneers, 383 

CHAPTER XLI. 
From Portland to Puget Sound, 389 

CHAPTER XLII. 

The Great Inland Sea, 398 



CONTENTS. 7 

CHAPTER XLIII. 

PAGE. 

Turning Trees into Money, ". . 408 

CHAPTER XLIV. 
Tacoma — Full op Stumps and Enterprise, 418 

CHAPTER XLV. 

The Expulsion of tfie Chinese, 431 

CHAPTER XLVI. 
A Rainy Season in the Puget Sound Valley, . . . 447 

CHAPTER XLVII. 
Hops Turning into Soil— A Visit to one of the Hop- 
farms OF THE PUYALLUP, 460 

CHAPTER XLVIII. 

The Great Territory and its Resources, 476 

CHAPTER XLIX. 
British Columbia — In the Little Island City, . . 492 

CHAPTER L. 

In the Little Island City, 503 

CHAPTER LI. 
Queen Victoria's American Domain, 511 

CHAPTER LII. 
The Return Down the Sound, 528 

CHAPTER LIII. 

The Switzerland of America, 538 



8 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER LIV. 

PAGE. 

Jacksonville, and Gold-mining in Southern Oregon, 553 

CHAPTER LV. 
Ashland, at the Base of the Siskiyous, 569 

CHAPTER LVI. 
A Peculiar Wedding-trip, 580 

CHAPTER LVII. 
Over the Siskiyous — Down the Canon of the Sac- 
ramento, 594 



JliLtUST^ATlOl^JS. 



PAGE. 

Cliffs of the Columbia, Frontispiece. 

Primitive Plow, ^^ 

Homes of the Cliff-dwellers, 25 

One of the Pioneers ^5 

A Group of Cacti, 41 

Salix Babylonica— Weeping Willow, 46 

Cactus Opuntia— Prickly Pear, 48 

Locomotion among the Mexicans, 52 

An Adobe Ruin, 65 

Temiscal, or Indian Sweat-house, 101 

The Fig, ^^^ 

A Drove of Ostriches, 112 

An Avenue of Eucalypti, 117 

A Rural Home in Southern California, 134 

Corridor, San Luis Rey Mission, 151 

Sacristy, " " " " ^'^^ 

Fan Palms, 1"4 

The Pepper-tree, • 1^4 

Raisin Grapes, 186 

Time Beguiles, 203 

Ruins of Mission Church, San Diego, 212 

Ruins, San Juan Capistrano, 216 

Agave Americanus— The Century Plant, 225 

The Sierra Madre Villa, 233 



The Pomegranate, 



239 



A California Live-oak, 249 

A Bee Farm, 250 

The Honey-makers, 257 

Mission of San Fernando, 271 

Valley of the San Joaquin, 277 

Glaciers of Mt. Tacoma, 280 

The Golden Gate 287 

Tillamook Light, 291 

Portland, Oregon, 299 

Mt. Hood, 301 

9 



10 ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE. 

Residence of Senator Dolph, 303 

Salmon-fishing, 316 

A Home in the Mountains, 323 

Rooster Rock and the Needles, 326 

Cape Horn, Columbia River, 328 

Multnomah Falls, Oregon, 331 

Bright Views of Other Falls, 333 

Cascades of the Columbia River, 335 

A View on the Columbia, 337 

Spokane Falls, Columbia Basin, 342 

Emigrants Crossing the INIountains, 353 

First Street, Portland, Oregon, 377 

Ferrying a Train, 391 

Lumber-mill, Tacoma, Washington Territory, 410 

Washington Territory Saw-logs, 415 

Coal-bunkers, Northern Pacific Railroad, Tacoma, ■ • . 421 
St. Peter's Chapel, Tacoma, Oldest Bell-tower on the 

Coast, 425 

A Camp of Indians, 461 

Hop-kilns, Puyallup Valley, 466 

Green River Scenery, 481 

Cascade Mountain Scenery, 486 

Arctic Exploration, ... 501 

The Wilds of Omineca, 528 

A Road to the Mines, 525 

The Fur-seal, 530 

A Scene in the Umpqua Valley, 542 

Nut Store-houses of the Indians, 548 

Conveying Water to the Mines, 563 

A California Scene, 606 

Twenty-six Other Illustrations at end of Chapters. 



TO ^]^p F50 

IN 

Southern California. 



I. 

^EsiPWAi^D Bound. 



SOON after dark of a cold December night, 1883, 
a carriage containing three persons, the writer 
being one, whirled rapidly over the glistening, snow- 
covered pavement toward the great Union Depot in 

C . Two of us had begun the journey to the 

far-off Pacific coast. The third occupant, after the 
good-bye and the parting, was to return alone into 
the city. 

Of us who were westward bound, one was very 
ill, and, as it proved, was in a double sense hasten- 
ing towards the sunset. 

Soon we were nicely settled in the luxurious 
sleeper. Around us stood a gratifying array of 
boxes and baskets, which loving hands had packed 
witii delicacies for the invalid and substantial pro- 
visions for the other. 



12 THROUGH KANSAS. 

Time sped, and when the clock opposite the train 
indicated the hour for starting, but two of us were 
left on board. The wheels began to turn. A man 
took the cards off the cars and walked away. Then 
out of the noisy building we rolled, into star-light 
and snow-light. On we went, past hamlet, and 
town, and farm, until, soon after sunrise the second 
morning, we rumbled into Kansas City. 

Then took place those agreeable little episodes of 
the trans-continental journey, the transferring our- 
selves to the shining Pullman of the Atchison, 
Topeka, and Santa Fe railway, the weighing and 
re-checking of baggage, and the taking breakfast. 
This all done, we glided off across the broad, lib- 
erty-loving State of Kansas. Bare and desolate as 
were the famous plains at that season, they were 
made intensely interesting by the thrilling expe- 
riences they recalled, connected with overland trav- 
eling in an early day. Dashing along at a rapid 
rate, well protected from the dust and cold, and as 
comfortable as if in a parlor, how faintly we real- 
ized the depressing tediousness of toiling over those 
dreary stretches behind a slow ox-team ! 

Armed cap-a-pie were most of those early ad- 
venturers into the wilds of the West, with patience, 
hope, and courage. That is a curious and startling 
element in human nature, which leads men to face 
danger from choice; to push out from comfort into 
hardship ; away from privilege into privation. But 



WESTWARD BOUND. 13 

so have men again and again followed the Star of 
Empire around the earth. 

The sight of a vast plain, as of a great mount- 
ain, leaves a deep impression upon the mind. Both 
suggest the possession of mighty power by the Archi- 
tect of the world. As to that, power always im- 
presses us, be it lodged in the winds, in steam, in 
the little plant forcing its way out of the soil, or in 
the Creator's hand, lifting the rocks up into mount- 
ains, or rolling millions of acres out into plains, 
level as a floor. 

As we approached the western verge of the State, 
the country became first undulating, then hilly, and 
as we neared the border of Colorado it began to 
stand upright, while far in the west snow-capped 
summits appeared. It was a new thing to be able 
to see objects eighty miles distant, as an attache of 
our parlor car affirmed were some of the snow- 
cones of the Greenhorn Range. 

Running on to La Junta, Colorado, where the 
road makes a decided turn towards the south, we 
soon had a fine view of the summit of Pike's Peak, 
declared by the conductor to be one hundred and 
fifty miles to the northward. Suddenly foot-hills, 
clothed with snow and cedars, sprang up all around 
us. Then our train began to climb, the upward 
tendency of our course being very perceptible. We 
were pushing on towards the Raton Pass, in tiie 
mountains of thai name. 



1 4 THR OUGH KA NSAS. 

On our right about this time, were discovered 
the majestic Spauish Peaks, three cones, suow-tipped 
and looming up finely. Arrived at the base of the 
rugged Raton Range, the strength of our one engine 
was insufficient to carry us up to the tunnel through 
which the road crosses the summit. Accordingly, 
"Uncle Ned," one of the largest locomotives in the 
United States, and certainly a mighty fellow, was 
marched to the front to "lend a hand." And 
nobly did he perform the task. Sweeping up that 
steep grade was a splendid piece of climbing. A 
strong wind blew down the pass into the giant's 
face. The car in which we rode strained, creaked, 
and swayed as we went up and up, turning around 
this shoulder and around that. Several young 
ladies in the car were in terror, lest Uncle Ned 
should lose his foot-hold, and let them go rolling 
down the mountain-side, to become the victims of a 
second Tehachapi disaster. Happily he was shod for 
the steep roadway of steel, and no casualty occurred. 

If I am correct, it has been the happy privilege 
of Uncle Ned to pull up to the tunnel in the Raton 
Pass, every westward-bound passenger train since 
the completion of the road to this time. Men be- 
come attached to inanimate things, and I was told 
that the employees of the road have a regard for 
this engine, much like that a brave general feels for 
an intelligent horse which has borne him through 
many a well-fought battle. 



A WESTWARD BOUND. 15 

On the train, much interested in Uncle NetVs 
struggle for the ascendency, were Mr. James C. 
Warner and his wife, of Chicago, bound for Mel- 
bourne, Australia. Mr. Warner is an English elec- 
trician, and among tliat class of scientists is known 
as an able inventor. He goes to the Fifth Conti- 
nent as the agent of the AVestern Electric Company, 
and in the city of Melbourne will superintend the 
application, to machines already in use, the latest 
improvements in telephonic apparatus. This com- 
pany, he informed me, controls the system of tele- 
phones noAV working in that city, and hopes, by 
promptly attaching thereto every important new 
appliance, to secure a market for its instruments in 
other towns of Australia. Mr. Warner has more 
the air of an unpretending farmer than of a devout 
student in the realm of electricity. 

The boundary line between Colorado and New 
Mexico runs through the Raton Tunnel, about mid- 
way of its length. AVe crossed this line, eight 
thousand feet above sea-level, a couple of hours 
after dark. A sensation of descent, as distinct as 
that we had experienced of ascent in going up, told 
us the moment we had passed this confine. This 
l)rought us into Colfax County, Xcw INIexico, one 
of the largest and most promising sections of the 
Territory, it being a well-known stock region. Dur- 
ing the night our route lay, first, amid austere mount- 
ain scenery, and then across broad mesas and plains. 



16 



THROUGH KANSAS. 



In the following sketcbes, which pertain partic- 
ularly to New Mexico and Arizona, I have mingled 
the accounts of two trips across the Great American 
Desert, between which nearly three years inter- 
vened. With the exception of a single episode or 
two, I have so woven these together as to make them 
read like the observations of one journey, ignoring 
dates, and endeavoring only to present clearly the 
facts gleaned. Instead of receiving detriment by 
the arrangement, it is believed the reader Avill rather 
be benefited. Should it appear necessary to intro- 
duce a date at any point for the clearer apprehen- 
sion of the reader, it will be done. 




11, 

She Southwaf^d FJun. 



A STAR-ROUTE MAN. 

DURING the night we drew up at a .small town 
named "Dorsey," after the famous "Star 
Route" Senator, now a resident of New Mexico. 
We had supposed this town to be located not far 
from Mr. Dorsey's great stock farm. But in this 
we were mistaken. The next station, called 
Springer, is the nearer his home, and is the place 
where he always takes the cars when bound on a 
visit to the outside world. Mr. Dorsey's immense 
farm, according to a personal acquaintance of the 
ex-Senator, riding in the seat next us, lies some 
thirty miles from the railway. Upon it he is now 
erecting an expensive and handsome residence, 
"one staircase in Avhich," said the gentleman, "will 
cost him seven hundred dollars." Mr. Dorsey is 
the possessor of large flocks and herds, and, not- 
withstanding the taint upon his reputation inflicted 
by the memorable star-route investigation, he exerts 
some political influence in the Territory. 

17 



18 N^w MEXICO. 

ANTELOPE, A WOLF. 
AYhile we were speeding over the plains in this 
county the second time, which was by daylight, 
some one raised the cry : 

" See the antelope ! see the antelope !" 
And on looking out of the windows we saw a 
small group of the graceful creatures quietly feed- 
ing, a few rods from the train. And not long after, 
quite as rare a sight was presented, when a savage 
wolf stalked away from us, over the parched grass. 
He held his head aloft and appeared as if he did n't 
care a penny for the comfort of traveling by steam. 

ALBUQUERQUE. 
Morning found us at Albuquerque, the largest 
city in New Mexico, having a population of about 
ten thousand souls. The place received its name 
from the Duke of Albuquerque, for four years the 
Spanish Governor and Captain-general of New 
Mexico, in the seventeenth century. It is quite 
noted for the educational advantages it possesses, 
while, as yet, no efficient system of public schools 
maintains in the Territory. The Albuquerque 
Academy is a promising institution, supervised by 
Protestants. There is also conducted a Catholic 
school of considerable strength ; while on a farm 
near the city flourishes the United States Industrial 
School for Indian Children. To this even juvenile 
Apaches arc admitted without a fear of their taking 



ALBUQUERQUE. 19 

to tho war-i)ath. The school is said to have been 
modeled after those at Hampton and Carlisle. 

As certain evidences of its future growtli, the 
city points to its central location ; to the rich val- 
leys lying north and south of it; to its contiguous 
coal and mineral mines; to its importance as a rail- 
road center, and best of all, to the activity and 
public spirit of its citizens. 

The first objects to arrest attention, on our leav- 
ing the train for breakfast, were a dozen or less 
savage-looking Indians, sitting, standing, lying 
down, on the broad veranda of the hotel. Men 
and women were clad in the same costume— heavy 
woolen blankets wrapped about the shoulders, and 
thick leggings tied above the knee. The sky was 
overclouded, and a fierce wind swept every inch of 
the piazza. Yet there they remained, bronzed stat- 
ues, silently watching the passengers come and go, 
until the train pulled out southward. Not the ves- 
tige of a smile, or an emotion, lighted up their 
coarse features. Possibly their thought was: 

" What wonderful beings these white-skins are!" 
And possibly: "What thieves and robbers!" But 
whatever their opinions, they will be spoken only 
to one another. 

No sooner does one interested in the htiniau 
race, enter New Mexico, than he becomes curious 
in regard to certain Indian tribes dwelling in the 
Territory. By the term "Indian" I mean, not 



20 



NEW MEXICO. 



simply wild Red men, but the inhabitants of both 
American continents when first invaded by Euro- 
peans. This includes the nations and tribes of the 
United States, the peoples whom Cortez subjugated 
in Mexico and Central America, and the race whom 
Pizarro overthrew in Peru, all of whom ethnolo- 
gists now conveniently group together under the 
term, "the American race." But arousing a pro- 
founder curiosity are those earlier peoples, who long 
preceded the American race, the ruins of whose 
works are a marvel to-day. Of their mighty builders 
no reliable account can be given. The very aspect 
of New Mexico starts trains of thought about those 
old, old occupants of the land. How long ago 
they lived, here, in Yucatan, in Peru, no pen can 
tell. So we turn a leaf and write about the country. 




IIT. 

Iips So-Day and ¥bstei^day. 



NEW MEXICO, acquired from the Republic of 
Mexico by the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, 
is a quaint and singular portion of the United States, 
Thousands of its acres are mere dismal stretches of 
sand. Yet, stand where one may, mountain chains 
diversify the landscape. West of the Rio Grande the 
spurs of the Sierra Madre — the connecting link be- 
tween the lofty Sierras of Old Mexico and the great 
heights of Colorado — push out into the desert in 
every direction, reckless, apparently, of all law and 
order. "Everywhere on its surface the extremes of 
scenery meet," The valleys between these spurs are 
susceptible of extraordinary cultivation. Their mean 
altitude above the sea is forty-five hundred feet. 
Though a radiant, sunny region, it is yet a strange and 
lonely land, a land given up to silence and the winds. 
True, one may not now, as did Antonio de Espejo 
three hundred years ago, "travel fifteen days in the 
province without meeting any people;" still, even 
in this year of grace 1883, and employing the mod- 
ern mode of progress, one may ride for hours over 
the desolate wastes and see almost no inhabitants. 

Occasionally the train dashes past a low adobe hut, 
3 21 



22 Ni:W MEXICO. 

far away from any town, but lie catches no glimpse 
of the Inmates. There are no faces of child reu at 
the little square windows, no forms In the low door- 
way. The ordinary tokens of civilization, seen all 
along the great railroads throughout the East, are 
absent here. Corn fields, wheat fields, and orchards 
are rare, except near the villages, or in the vicinity 
of the Kio Grande. 

Nevertheless, it must, not be inferred that New 
Mexico is without population. In 1881 it exceeded 
in number of inhabitants any other territory of the 
Union, except the District of Columbia. The cen- 
sus of 1880 gave it nearly 121,000 people, the 
natives being in strongest force. But what seems a 
little startling, unless one is conversant with the 
past history of this part of our country, is, that in 
Espejo's day New Mexico sustained a much greater 
multitude of people than at present. In the Inter- 
ests of Spain that officer traversed districts which 
embraced "fourteen, twenty, thirty, and even fifty 
thousand persons." This was in the northern por- 
tion of the province, however, and these communi- 
ties were assemblages of the Pueblo Indians, a 
people whom he found to be not only extremely 
industrious and living peaceably under their ca- 
ciques, but also possessing many of the luxuries of 
life, practicing numerous arts of civilization, and 
exhibiting toward strangers an ungrudging hospital- 
ity. A recent report by the Governor of the Ter- 



ITS TO-DA Y AND YESTERDA Y. 23 

ritory asserts that ten thousand of these Pueblos 
now dwell in New Mexico, and offer to the student 
of ethnology a subject as fascinating as when the 
Spaniards invaded the land. An intelligent writer 
upon the times and history of these ancient New 
Mexicans, says of them, substantially : 

"They were a nation who lived permanently in 
homes, some of them in houses built of stone, five 
lofts in height. They tilled the soil; constructed 
irrigating ditches to water their corn fields and 
gardens; made thoughtful provision against famine; 
wove cloths; wore painted mantles; had articles of 
dress embroidered in needle-work; used jewelry 
made of the turquois, emerald, and garnet; and 
administered wholesome laws, generations before the 
landing of Columbus." 

New Mexico abounds in legends and folk-lore 
relating to this race. And the many remains of 
ancient towns and cities, planted by its members on 
her hills, plateaus, and desert borders, toll in some 
degree how they lived and have passed away. Old 
mines, "caved in and covered up," together with 
"ruined smelters, surrounded by heaps of imperish- 
able slag," evince their knowledge of the minerals 
with which the mountains teem. The broken 
pottery, sacred images, and other domestic relics 
left by them, have rendered New ISIexico a delight- 
ful field for the arcluTologist and antiquarian for 
nearly a half century past. 



24 NEW MEXICO. 

A district particularly rich in these ancient 
tokens is the county of Rio Arriba^ in the north- 
western part of the territory. Here the traveler 
finds himself in the old realm of the Cliff Dwellers, 
where now may be seen the ruins of many of their 
villages, and where, buried out of sight beneath 
mounds of slowly accumulated soil, lie numerous 
others. 




PrimiUve Flow 

- "Judging by the depth of the earth above them," 
says one of the officials of that county, " this people 
must have settled the country thousands of years 
ago." Some of their ancient cities were of vast 
extent. Remains of them exist in the valleys, on 
the mesas, on the mountains, and far up the sides 
of rocky cliffs, which present an almost perpendic- 
ular front. 

But between the era of the prosperous Village 
Indians, and the domination of the Americans in 
New Mexico, there intervened another nation. It 
came into the country bearing the gospel of peace 
in one hand and tlie sword in the other; came in to 
vanquish, not to uplift and improve. It built royal 
edifices, "exacting from the hitherto happy Pueblos" 



ITS TO-DAY A^D YESIERDAY. 



25 




slavish J 
unrequited 
bor. And 

seldom did it inflict upon 
tlioin the cruel punish- 
ments of the Inquisition. 
By its rapacious policy 
was begotten, in the Horr.es of the CUff-Dwellers. 

course of years, a spirit of revolt and revenge which, in 



26 NEW MEXICO. 

1680, turned the peaceful province into a scene of 
furious incendiarism and bloodshed. 

Perhaps nowhere on either of the American 
continents where the Spaniards obtained sway, did 
they display toward the races they subjugated a 
greater tyranny, or a more studied treachery, than 
in the country by themselves called, "The Kingdom 
and Province of New Mexico," and which then 
included, besides the New Mexico of our day, the 
whole of Arizona and a portion of Colorado. 

The invasion of the Spaniards took place "about 
one hundred years before the Pilgrims set foot upon 
Plymouth Rock." Yet to-day the strong and 
ornate structures they reared, some in ruins, others 
in comparatively good preservation, occupy many a 
vantage ground of the region. Thus one finds here 
the eloquent works, as well as the living represent- 
atives of two former races, both of which have lost 
control of the country. All this, and more, tends 
to throw over the Territory of New Mexico a fas- 
cination and an air of romance which years will fail 
to dispel. Indeed, in greater or less degree, the 
same weird interest is aroused by all this dreamy, 
desert portion of the United States. The vegeta- 
tion is unique. A blue haze veils the mountains. 
The distances deceive. The mirages are illusions. 

At the close of the Spanish dominion there 
succeeded the Mexican regime. This, in turn, was 
followed by the American occupation in 1848. 



IV. 

Old ©imes and ^i^esenip F{esoui^ges, 



NEW MEXICO, as now constituted, contains an 
area of 121,201 square miles. Its average 
breadth is three hundred and sixty-seven miles; its 
average length, three hundred and thirty-five miles. 
Unquestionably it is one of the healthiest portions of 
the country, " being absolutely free from all causes of 
disease." Warm at midday, the nights are cool, and 
the temperature of the mountains is everywhere de- 
lightful. Among the names of its counties we find the 
illustrious ones of Lincoln, Grant, and Colfax. Its 
chief cities are Santa Fe, the capital, Albuquerque, 
already mentioned, and the point at which the At- 
lantic and Pacific Railway leaves the Atchison, 
Topeka, and Santa Fe road for San Francisco, Los 
Vegas, celebrated for its hot springs. Las Cruces, 
Silver City, Deming, and some others. 

In age and historic interest, as well as in legend- 
ary charm, Santa Fe, colonized and re-named by 
the Spaniards in 1598, stands pre-eminent. Prob- 
ably no other spot in all this lower portion of our 

land is so rich iu old Indian traditions, in memories 

27 



28 NEW MEXICO. 

of the relentless Spanish rule, and in reminiscences 
of the intrepid Rocky Mountain fur traders. Its 
plaza, streets, buildings, and some special precincts, 
are eloquent with the deeds of the three races which 
have successively held sway there. 

Prior to the Spanish settlement, the place was 
the governing center for a group of Indian villages 
which were confederated under one cacique, and 
enjoyed a remarkable prosperity, if we may credit 
the testimony of their conquerors. These were vil- 
lages of the gentle "Tanos people," upon whom 
were executed, after 1662, some of the harsh edicts 
of the Inquisition. 

Among the points of attraction belonging to a 
former day are the old Church of San Miguel, the 
Cathedral of San Francisco, Fort Marcy, certain 
old landmarks of the American fur traders, and the 
structure called the Governor's Residence. The 
latter is said to be the oldest, and the only building 
in the United States, preserved since the Spanish 
sway, which is distinctively called a palace. It is 
now familiarly known as the Governor's Residence, 
and is occupied by the American Governor of the 
Territory. No single feature of the old city excites 
more interest in the minds of visitors than does this 
dwelling. 

It is a one-story, adobe structure, with very 
thick walls, like all such works left by the Span- 
iards, and is supposed to have been erected by 



OLD TIMES AND PRESENT RESOURCES. 29 

Count Penaloza, chief executive of the province, 
about 1662. Around it cluster volumes of histor- 
ical associations. One of its distinctions is the great 
number of titled people which have been entertained 
\Yithin it, in royal state. Considering its location, 
in the heart of a great country, and the fact that 
from no direction could it be reached, except by 
traversing arid stretches of vast extent, or by cross- 
ing mountains rugged and bold, this feature is all 
the more noteworthy. Among its guests have been 
envoys of the kings of Spain, Mexican officials, and 
distinguished citizens of the United States. 

Penaloza, so runs the history, possessed not only 
a decided taste for building cities and fine edifices, 
but also great tact for quelling Indian outbreaks. 
At the same time, he was not the man to meekly 
execute all the decrees of the home government. 
It is related that on one occasion he laid hold of a 
Spanish commissary-general and confined him in the 
palace for a week, in the hope that quietude and 
time for reflection might teach him official modera- 
tion. How he succeeded is not stated. 

Modern writers have worked away at the ancient 
Church of San Miguel, until most readers know all 
about it. The principal facts concerning the struc- 
ture, besides the history wrapped up in it, are the 
following: It is believed to be the oldest church 
edifice in the United States. Like scores of similar 
buildings in Arizona, Old Mexico, and Califoiniii, 



30 NEW MEXICO. 

it was made of adobe, with walls imraeosely thick. 
Its exterior is prison-like. In the general Pueblo 
emeute of 1680 it suffered partial destruction, but 
was restored thirty years later. 

Near it stands a low adobe structure, two stories 
in height, " known to antedate every other house in 
our land," it being the only remains of the ancient 
Pueblo village, or capital, of Analco, which, at 
Espejo's advent, occupied the present site of 
Santa Fe. 

In the early years of this century there flour- 
ished, at times, in Santa Fe such notable Rocky 
Mountain men as Kit Carson and Captain Zebulon 
Pike, whose name is perpetuated by that peerless 
summit, Pike's Peak, and who once languished, for 
some little time, a prisoner in the famous " palace." 
Added to these were Jedediah Smith, the two Sou- 
blette brothers, the Messrs. Fitzpatrick and Bridger, 
besides a score of less eminent but not less fearless 
traders, trappers, and adventurers, who, in spite of 
great obstacles and extreme reverses, built up a rich 
commerce with Northern Mexico. 

The resources of New Mexico may be grouped 
under the heads of grazing, mining, agriculture, as 
yet carried on to an extent much below the possi- 
bilities, horticulture, in which encouraging begin- 
nings have been made, and endless openings for 
manufactures. Immense herds of cattle, sheep, 



OLD TIMES AND PRESENT RESOURCES. 31 

goats, and horses range over its boundless pasture 
tracts. A glimpse of these herds is sometimes ob- 
tained by the traveler as he flits through the Terri- 
tory on the cars. Millions of acres are given up to 
this purpose. 

In the mountains of New Mexico lie buried in 
vast quantities, gold, silver, copper, coal, mica, and 
numerous other metals. Santa Fe County, embrac- 
ing the celebrated Cerrillos anthracite fields, twenty 
thousand acres in extent, together with the Callisteo 
bituminous banks, of equal size, and those of Socorro 
County, on the eastern side of the Rio Grande, 
represent the wealth of a kingdom in fuel alone. 
Donna Ana County, one hundred and fifty miles 
long, one hundred miles wide, lying on the border 
of Old Mexico and well watered by the Rio 
Grande, excels in semi-tropical fruit products. 
Every thing may be grown there, from apples to 
strawberries, grown in abundance and to perfection. 
Onion culture is also a prominent industry of the 
district. The variety raised is a native of Old 
Mexico, and has a great reputation for size and fine 
flavor. In these particulars it surpasses the favorite 
Bermuda onion. One cultivator of the fragrant (?) 
edible, says: "An acre of ground will produce 
thirty thousand onions, averaging one pound in 
weight, and with skillful husbandry even fifty thou- 
sand pounds may be obtained from the same space. 
The crop may be marketed on the ground at three 



32 NEW MEXICO. 

cents per pound, and will require the steady labor 
of one man six months of the year. 

A conspicuous resource of this county is its 
gypsum plains, forty miles long by thirty miles 
wide. The mineral exists in the form of powder, 
and in some localities is "piled in drifts, from 
twenty to fifty feet in height." From a distance, it 
is said, these ridges resemble banks of snow. Its 
special value lies in its being a fine fertilizer for 
wheat. 

Four great rivers, with many lesser streams, 
water the Territory of New Mexico. The Rio 
Grande and the Rio Picos flow through its entire 
length, from north to south, and find their outlet 
in the Gulf of Mexico. The latter is the more 
eastern stream, and refreshes Lincoln County, an 
immense area, embracing about one-fifth of the 
Territory. 

Rio Arriba County is another mammoth section. 
Its altitude above sea-level averages seven thousand 
feet. Its length is two hundred and fifty miles, its 
width ninety miles. Through it flows the river 
San Juan, a strong affluent of the Colorado, and 
having many large branches of its own. 

Turning now to the north-eastern corner of the 
Territory, we behold rolling into populous San 
Miguel County, from Texas, the Canadian River, 
an important arm of the Arkansas. With its own 
multiplied tributaries it nourishes a fine series of 



OLD TIMES AND PRESENT RESOURCES. 33 

fertile valleys. In this section the hills and mount- 
ain slopes bristle with forests of pine and cedar. 
On the streams are numerous saw-mills, busy cut- 
ting this timber into lumber, thus adding another 
to the resources of New Mexico. 




V. 

She ^huf^gh and Sghool-F^ousb ai^b 

ITHB ^lONBBI^S. 



BEFORE resuming the thread of my story, after 
this long digression, I wish to make one or two 
remarks on the subject of general education in this 
and other south-western parts of our country, and 
to make them in connection with Wallace, the ter- 
minus' of a division of the Atchison, Topeka, and 
Santa Fe Railway, where are located the company's 
shops, round-house, and the like. Wallace is a 
point of interest, also, on account of the liberal 
provision it has made for the education and relig- 
ious culture of its people, and in these respects it 
is a typical Western town. It is not unusual in 
these towns to find the church and school-house 
going up simultaneously with the dwellings. In- 
deed, in my journeyings I have seen a town-site on 
which a church, a school-house, and a hotel were 
among the first buildings erected, and the men 
laying out the place were of the shrewdest, most 
far-seeing class. Another preliminary step was the 
grading of the principal streets and the laying of 

durable pavements. Then followed electric lights, 
34 



THE OLD /SANTA FE TRAIL. 



35 



and the next thing was a railway train thunder- 
ing in. 

It has been reserved fur the West, the undefined 
but jModigious West, to reverse the order of pro- 




one of the Pioneei*3 

ceedings in founding towns and cities. The old 
plan was for a number of families to appear, one 
by one, on the scene, erect their habitations and get 
settled at their various pursuits. Then tardily fol- 
lowed the ohureh edifices and the institutions of 



36 NEW MEXICO. 

learning. Now the latter are the pioneers. They 
move on, in advance of the people, take possession 
of the ground, and are ready to begin work when 
the men and women, the boys and girls, come up. 

Now returning to our journey: We were some 
three hours beyond Albuquerque, when, halting at 
a station in the desert, our car was invaded by a 
band of Pueblo women carrying baskets of "pin- 
ions," a small nut gathered on the neighboring 
mountains, and which resembled a variety of brown 
bean I have frequently seen in Ohio. The fruit 
was sweet and pleasant to the taste, and was offered 
us at five cents the tumbler full. These little women 
were a lively company, and flitted to and fro in the 
car, disposing of their nuts in a very brisk, business- 
like manner. They were clad in indescribable attire, 
and evidently in expectation of seeing strangers. 
Each woman wore upon her head about the follow- 
ing articles: A square piece of colored cloth, a gay 
handkerchief, and a sun-bonnet tied with cord and 
tassels. The remainder of the costume was simi- 
larly varied, both as to garments and color. There 
could be little question but that each one had 
donned her entire wardrobe for the occasion. With 
their coal-black eyes, alert ways, and pleasant ex- 
pression of countenance, they were agreeable 
women, notwithstanding their swarthy skin, short 
stature, and stout bodies. 



ALBUQUERQUE. 37 

THE OLD SANTA FE TRAIL. 

Not far to the east of us now, through many 
miles of the treeless desert, lay the celebrated Santa 
Fe Trail, formerly pursued by emigrants on their 
way to the great El Dorado of the West. 

" For a distance of ninety miles through New Mex- 
ico," said a gentleman familiar with the Territory, 
*'this route crossed not a single stream of running 
water; and to this part of it was given the name 
of 'Valley of Death.' And such, indeed, it was. 
Great numbers of men and animals fell victims to 
thirst upon its suffocating sands." 

Here and there the precise locality of the trail 
was pointed out to us, as we sped down the deso- 
late expanse. 

Many of the small hamlets which have sprung 
up because the railroad is here, are as quiet 
and dreamy as the desert itself. No business 
is transacting. No hum of manufacturing is 
heard. No teams are at work. Not a woman 
is seen abroad in the streets. No child voices 
ring out through the heated air. And yet this 
is sunny New Mexico, a land which many people 
who have not traversed it, suppose to be clothed 
with verdure, radiant with flowers, and teeming 
with inhabitants. 

It was a relief, under the circumstances, to have 
the long, bright day wear away, and to see the sun 



38 NEW MEXICO. ' 

go down. Suddenly, thereupon, fully one-quarter 
of the great arch overhead turned to a brilliant 
gold color. Half-way up to the zenith this soft- 
ened into a faint pink, while at the horizon it 
deepened to a rich orange. Soon after, in the 
midst of the gold, appeared the fair evening star, 
its soft, silvery beams contrasting strikingly with 
the glory around. Slowly, then, night dropped her 
curtains, now concealing this range of mountains, 
and now that. It was nine o'clock. We were in 
Deming, the south-western terminus of the Atchison 
and Topeka road. 

The only hotel was crowded with guests, wait- 
ing for a delayed train on the Southern road. Not 
a room remained for the passengers from the North. 
Happily, between the proprietor and a housekeeper 
across the plaza there existed a silent partnership 
in the hotel business, which was made apparent 
on such occasions. To her house, accordingly, were 
we marched, an inhospitable wind chilling us to 
our very bones. Arrived at the place, we were 
conducted up an outside staircase to our rooms, in 
none of which was sign of fire, beyond a warm 
stove-pipe, which passed through one of them from 
below. This was kindly assigned to the sufferer in 
my care, and in a short time weariness and desert 
solitudes were forgotten in sound sleep. 



VI. 

INGIDBNTS OP THE SECOND ^OUI^NEY. 



NEARLY three years after that night I again 
passed over this section of New Mexico, and 
if the reader will pardon, I will insert here, be- 
fore we move westward from Deming, one or two 
epJfeodes of that trip. 

Under my care, by her own request, was an aged 
German woman, for long years a resident of San 
Francisco. So singular a character was she, such a 
compound of smartness and utter inability, so un- 
attractive in appearance, and yet so winning withal, 
that I presume to photograph her on these pages. 

Upon entering the Pullman car at Los Angeles, 
I found her domiciled for the trip, and conversing 
with a couple of genteel-looking friends. The 
berth I had secured happened to be opposite her 
own. Presently her friends bade her "good-bye," 
and we were alone. Then turning to me she re- 
marked : 

"^lay be you are going where I am?" 

"Possibly. I am going to Ohio." 

" Is that east of Medora, Kansas?" 

" Yes, a long distance." 



39 



40 NEW MEXICO. 

" May be, then, you '11 look after me. I 've 
never been over this road before. I live in San 
Francisco — thirty years now in that wonderful 
city." 

"I will, certainly, do all I can for you." 

Then she proceeded to epitomize her austere 
history, by saying that she had been a hard worker 
all her days; had made and lost two or threo am- 
ple fortunes; had buried her husband two years 
before; had been left childless, and now, tired of a 
silent home and a desolate life, she had started for 
Medora, Kansas, ''expressly to take back with her 
a favorite niece and her family, to brighten the 
house." 

" Should they prove kind to her," she went on, 
" and not be too stuck up, the step should be the 
making of them. But should they forget the re- 
spect due her, they'd just have to pack up and git. 
And, in that event, she should just take up the 
dead body of her husband and git to Europe. 
Germany was a better place, anyhow, than this 
wretched, sandy country." 

Hundreds of miles before reaching Deming, she 
became disgusted with the route, and "just wished 
she 'd gone by the Union Pacific. That was a 
wonderful route, through magnificent scenery. But 
on this Southern Pacific road she 'd seen nothing 
but sand, mountains, and twisted cacti for nearly 
thirteen hundred miles; and, what was worse yet, 



JACJVENTS OF THE SECOND JOURNEY. 41 



the attendant in the car assured her there 
were twelve hundred miles more of the 
same thing before she would see Medora." 
Thus the good woman vented her dis- 
content upon the innocent country. 
It was a singular aspect of her 
case that, untidy as was her appear- 
ance, coarse as were her manners 
and features, she yet managed to in- 
terest in her behalf every traveler 
who happened to take a seat near 
her. On leaving the car, men and 
women would shake hands with her 



t 




A Group of Cacti. 



42 NEW MEXICO. 

warmly, wishing lier a safe arrival at " Medora," 
and success with the niece and her family. To the 
through passengers this proceeding became rather 
amusing toward the last. At the same time it dis- 
closed a beautiful side of our human nature. 

An important part of the woman's luggage con- 
sisted of a capacious portmanteau, crowded with 
such fragrant provisions as pickles, cheese, ham, 
doughnuts, and bologna sausage. From either one 
of these the odor could have been endured ; but 
when all had been combired and confined for sev- 
eral hours, they had the effect to set her near 
neighbors to devising an emigration scheme the 
moment the receptacle was opened. From this sup- 
ply, with the addition of a cup of coffee, procured 
for her at the meal stations, she refreshed herself 
three times each day. Though twice and a half my 
weight, she seemed to regard me as a being who 
could avert from her all the evils of the way, and, 
indeed, but for ray oversight on leaving Deming, 
the poor woman would have been doomed to spend 
twenty-four hours more in that " horrid sandy 
country," 

At half-past nine in the morning we were lo- 
cated in the cool, wicker-seated coaches, ready for 
the flight northward. Toward noon we cajne in 
sight of the green fringe of the Rio Grande. Cross- 
ing this stream Ave soon drew up at E-incon, a place 
consisting of the station-house and a very comfort- 



IXrrOENTS OF THE SECOND JOURNEY. 43 

able hotel. Both are shoved up into a narrow 
canon, in order to escape overflows of the great 
river. Here, during a three hours' waiting for the 
northward-bound train from El Paso, we witnessed 
a striking display of the mental resources of the 
Mexican in times of emergency, and also of his 
capacity to sympathize with others in condition of 
suifering. 

Soon after our arrival one of their race at- 
tempted, when in a state of intoxication, to leap 
upon an incoming local train. One of the brake- 
men, perceiving the nuin's danger, pui?hed him 
away vigorously. Enraged by this act, tlie crazed 
fellow repeated the effort, missed his hold, fell be- 
neath the car, and was taken up with one foot 
severely crushed. He became sober instantly. 

Lying about on "blankets, bedding, and bundles 
of apparel in the broad covered passage-way be- 
tween the two trains, were a score of his country- 
men, unmoved by the accident and indijfferent to 
the victim's pain. There being no physician within 
miles of the place, the wounded man was laid on 
the floor of this passage, without sign of pillow, 
and freely dosed with whisky, while upon the man- 
gled foot was poured a stream of cold water. Mean- 
while, did he attempt to turn his head, to move an 
arm, or toss about in his agony, his two companions 
held him as rigid as a statue, regardless of his 
woeful cry of "Let me alone." 



44 NEW MEXICO. 

Distressed by all this, several gentlemen, leaving 
the cars, urged gentler treatment and the pressing' 
need of a surgeon. But the brown-visaged men 
replied only by a shake of the head, and a few 
words uttered in the Spanish tongue. The adminis- 
tration of whisky and water continued during the 
three hours of our stay, and when we moved off 
northward the sufferer still lay on the floor, his foot 
bleeding but himself quiet and unconscious of pain, 
because dead drunk. 

Shortly before four o'clock of the fifth day after 
our departure from Los Angeles, the polite con- 
ductor of the train entered our car, stepped to the 
seat occupied by my German friend, and said, smil- 
ingly, . " The next station is Medora," and then 
passed on. How the good woman's hands trembled 
then as she tied her bonnet strings, clasped her reti- 
cule, and gave the half-dozen pieces of her luggage 
a quick little shove together to have them ready for 
a prompt departure ! Stepping to her side I said : 
"Do not worry; I will help you off the train." 

Then she calmed herself some and waited, and 
finally, grateful for her cordial invitation to visit 
her the next time I should be in ''that wonderful 
city, San Francisco," I bade her " good-bye " in the 
long-looked-for Medora, and continued my flight 
toward the Buckeye State. 



VII. 

Fi^OM Deming to ©ugson. 



Now let us return to Deming. The reader will 
remember we entered the place at nine o'clock 
in the evening. The next morning, which dawned 
cold and gray, revealed a small village of possibly 
sixteen hundred inhabitants. In the distance, on 
every hand, rose mountains blue and stately. Most 
of the buildings were of wood, one story in height, 
and erected, evidently, to serve only until better 
structnres should take their place. The commodious 
hotel, hemmed in on three sides by railroads, was 
new and well managed. Its bill of fare was sur- 
prisingly ample, and the cooking excellent, for a 
table spread in the heart of a desert. 

Some towns seem to have been foreordained to 
become eminent. Reputation attaches to them inde- 
pendently of size or age. Location alone socnres it 
to them. This is Deming's prime advantage. The 
village stands in the path of the ever-incrcasiiig 
tide of travel from the vast "East" to our south- 
western coast. Through it pass, also, from the 
Pacific Slope thousands of people ticketed to Texas 
and the Gulf States, while multitudes branch off 



45 



46 



ARIZONA. 



here for all points east of the Rocky Mountains. 
Hence the little town is known far and near. 

Deming is located about forty miles north of the 
border of Old Mexico, and is a distributing point 
for a large region of country. Its altitude above 




Salix Batiylonica—" Weeping Willow- ' 

sea-level is four thousand two hundred feet. Un- 
derneath the place, some fifty feet below the surface, 
lies an inexhaustible supj)ly of excellent water. 
This advantage the citizens naturally set forth with 
some eloquence, situated as they are, on a great 
desert unrefreshed by running streams. Like mill- 
ions of acres of this Southla'nd, the region needs 



FROM DEMING TO TUCSON. 47 

water only to render -it marvelously productive, they 
toll us. The general cultivation of the soil here 
however, is nuich a question of the future. Many 
of the mountains around are vast store-houses for 
valuable metals and minerals. 

Deming calls itself the half-way station between 
Kansas City and San Francisco, being twelve hun- 
dred miles from the former, and nearly thirteen 
hundred from the latter. The Southern Pacific 
Railway connects the place with both the Pacific 
and Gulf coasts. It is likewise the southern ter- 
minus for the narrow-gauge road now finished to 
Silver City, situated in a rich mineral region. Pro- 
ceeding westward as far as Benson, an important 
mining town of Arizona, Deming has an outlet ina 
the Sonora Railway to the port of Guaymas, on the 
Gulf of California. 

At half-past ten we again pushed out into the 
sand, with two hundred and twenty miles between 
lis and Tucson, Arizona. All day long we rolled 
over the wild waste, our relation to the mountain 
chains on either hand, changing every hour. The 
vegetation of the desert proved an interesting study. 
At one little station I observed, to my surprise, 
the Salix Babylonica growing in a hot depression, 
where one would suppose no green thing could 
live. I noticed, also, in addition to several strange 
varieties, frequent large patches of the cactus com- 
monly called " prickly pear," or the cactus opuntia. 



48 



ARIZONA. 



Here the plant was dwarfed in size and the leaves 
grew close to the ground. 

But afterwards, in the city of Los Angeles, I 
saw it attain a height of fifteen or eighteen feet. 
The trunk was bare of limbs to a height of eight 




Cactus Opuntia— " Prickly Pear. 



or ten feet, while the top of ungainly, distorted 
branches spread out in all directions. The last 
time I passed this cactus tree, the edge of each 
pulpy leaf had burst out into a circlet of yellowish- 
red blossoms, making it a conspicuous object in 
the neighborhood. The fruit of this species is not 



FROM DEMING TO TUCSON. 49 

onlv edible, but palatable, and being round at both 
ends, reminds one of the short, smooth variety of 
cucumber, though the color is a lighter green. 

When crossing this desert the second time, T 
was favored with a sight of that strange optical 
illusion, the mirage. Happening to glance out of 
the car-window, in the direction of the south-west, 
about four o'clock in the afternoon, lo ! there ap- 
peared a broad, placid river flowing through the 
sand. Inverted in its depths we could plainly see 
the summits of the nearest mountains, and also the 
tops of the tallest shrubs close at hand. At one 
point the stream appeared to divide, and encircle 
the base of a stately butte standing far away, thus 
forming an inverted conical island. 

"Why! is that a river?" inquired a passenger, 
springing to her feet, and trying to obtain a clearer 
view of the scene. 

"No, madam," answered the conductor, just 
then passing through the car. " There is no water 
within two hundred miles of here." 

But again we have digressed. It is not easy to 
combine in one account the observations of opposite 
trips through a land like this. On we fly, past acres 
of cacti and chaparral, towards the quaint old city of 
Tucson. Once more it is night. The sun sinks be- 
hind the low indigo hills, rimming the horizon in the 
west. The heavens are glorious half-way to the 
zenith. The stars glitter in the azure sky. The 



50 



ARIZONA. 



air grows cold, making necessary the fire glowing 
in the huge stove. Now a passenger steps to the 
door, looks out ahead, returns, shrugs his shoulders, 
and announces, ''Tucson is in sight." 

Presently the train halted in front of an excel- 
lent hotel, kept by a family named Porter, whom 
the writer has occasion long to remember, for kind- 
nesses shown her. Delivering up the checks for 
our luggage, we stepped into an omnibus and drove 
into the queer old town for a ten days' sojourn and 
rest. Some little opportunity occurred during our 
stay, to acquaint myself with Arizona and its an- 
cient capital Certain general facts gained, appear 
in the following chapter. 




VIII. 

pI^IZONA. 



ARIZONA, once a part of New Mexico, em- 
braces a territory of sixteen thousand square 
miles. Superficially it consists of deserts, plateaus, 
valleys, and mountains. Chains of the latter trav- 
erse it in almost every direction, with much rich, 
productive land intervening. The southern portion 
is an extensive plain, but slightly elevated above the 
sea. Other parts attain altitudes of from six to nine 
thousand feet. The splendid cone of Saint Francis 
towers to a distance of eleven thousand feet. The 
Rio Colorado js the most notable stream of the 
Territory, and forms a considerable part of its 
western boundary. Next in importance is fhfe Gila. 
Having its source in New Mexico, it flows entirely 
across the southern portion of Arizona, and joins the 
Colorado about one; hundred and sixty miles north 
of the Gulf of California. Narrow, swift, and shal- 
low most of the year, it swells to a mighty torrent 

during the rainv season. 

51 



52 



ARIZONA. 



The valley of the Gila appears to have been the 
seat, not only of a large Spanish colonization, but 
also of a dense Indian population, far anterior to 
the Spanish occupation. Portions of it are dotted 
with the ruins of ancient pueblos and structures of 
solid masonry, "which seem to have remained un- 
tenanted for centuries." There exist evidences of 




Locomotion Among the Mexicans. 

long irrigating canals and other eloquent tokens of 
a busy, industrial life. Some a rchseo legists have 
conjectured that a people numbering not less than 
one hundred thousand, dwelt in the valley of the 
Gila, hundreds of years before Hernando Cortez 
ever saw Mexico. 

The Rio Colorado is navigable several hundred 
miles above the Gulf of California. At one point, 
as all the world has read, its deep, resistless current 
has plowed a caiion, surpassing in the majesty of 
its scenery even the famous gorge of the Columbia, 
itself renowned for grand and awe-inspiring sights. 



THE MINING INDUSTRY. 53 

The writer will carry in mind to the end of life 
some of tlie wonders which mark the rent in the 
Cascade Mountains, made by the mighty Columbia. 
The walls of that portion of the Colorado, called 
the Grand Canon, attain a perpendicular height of 
seven thousand feet. 

THE INDIAN TRIBES. 

Arizona still retains a large Indian population. 
The tribes which live in general amity with the 
Americans are the Pimas, Yumas, Mojaves, Mari- 
copas, Papagoes, and some others. The Apaches, 
as the newspapers have taken some pains to say, 
are notably fierce and hostile. The friendly tribes 
are more or less engaged in farming, stock-raising, 
and similar pursuits, parts of the Territory being 
admirably adapted to these purposes. 

THE MINING INDUSTRY. 

With most other classes of the people mining 
appears to be the leading industry. The mountains 
teem with valuable metals and minerals. Gold, 
silver, and copper are the most plentifid. Then 
follows a long list, useful in the arts, and in a thou- 
sand ways helpful to man. 

The subject of mining certainly forms the staple 
for conversation in Tucson, both in the home and 
on the street. In it women appear to be as deeply 



54 ARIZONA. 

interested as men, and numbers of them spend 
weeks of time every year superintending the devel- 
opment of mines ; while others, at great sacrifice of 
domestic enjoyment, leave their homes and reside 
in the rude camps months in succession, in order 
that the members of their families engaged in 
" working claims" may have the restraints and at- 
tractions of home life thrown around them. 

As I pen these lines there is loading up in the 
sunny court of this rambling adobe house, a rough- 
looking, muddy-wheeled vehicle, in which a young 
man and his mother, a most interesting woman, are 
about to set out for a mine they own, something 
like a hundred miles from Tucson. Upon this 
mine, within a limited time, according to law, must 
be performed a specified amount of work, else the 
claim will be forfeited. The mother and son are 
to set forth this morning to meet this requirement. 
They came into the city three days ago, from min- 
ing property belonging to the family in another 
direction. On that claim the husband, mother, and 
son are making a home, until, as the woman re- 
marked to me, "a wasted fortune could be repaired." 
Within seventy-five miles of her temporary mining 
home, not another woman resides ! 

Such are some of the sacrifices imposed by the 
struggle for gold and silver in these mountains. 
Sooner or later the precious ores cost the possessor 
all they are worth. Usually the road is long before 



THE MINING INDUSTRY. 55 

a claim becomes remunerative, even if it prove a 
remarkably rich one. Great patience, perseverance, 
and courage, as well as a practical knowledge of 
raining, and a large outlay of money, are the prefiice 
to success. And often, after the lavish expenditui;e 
of all these, success hides out of sight. 

It has been estimated that from twenty-five to 
forty per cent of the attempts to extract fortunes 
from the heart of these mountains end in ruin. 
The outlay is continual. The income may never 
come. Far surer of coaxing gold out of the valleys 
is the man who plants potatoes and corn therein. 
Still, Arizona is one of the richest mineral lands of 
the world. Leaving gold and silver out of the 
question, it is affirmed that the Territory's annual 
yield of copper alone will in a few years reach the 
vast sum of twenty-five million dollars. Statistics 
showing the enormous output of some of the Arizona 
copper mines might here be given, were it my pur- 
pose to cumber this little book with details of that 
character. I may add here, however, that in the 
opinion of a thoughtful observer of the industry, 
both here and in Colorado, " mining, properly con- 
ducted, is one of the most remunerative pursuits 
which men follow, and is excelled in this respect 
only by the liquor traffic." He might have con- 
tinued : ''There is this marked difference, though, 
in the getting started. Frequently the miner invests 
a fortune before he receives a farthing in return. 



56 



ARIZONA. 



On the other hand, ten dollars will establish a 
saloon. And not unlikely, the first day after the 
screen is adjusted inside the front door, revenue 
from the modest stock of mingled water, chemicals, 
and alcohol begins to flow in freely." 




IX. 

©UGSON. 



THE city of Tucson stands in the center of a 
wide sandy plain, a part of the great desert we 
have traversed two days and two nights. It lies 
on the Santa Cruz River, sixty miles north of the 
frontier of Old Mexico, two hundred and twenty 
miles west of Deming, two hundred and fifty miles 
east of Yuma, reputed to be the "hottest place in 
the world." Tucson is in size the chief town of 
Arizona, and has a population of about fourteea 
thousand. Prior to the American regime it was a 
Mexican military post of some consequence. It is 
now a mining center of much influence, and is the 
capital of Pima County, itself large enough to make 
a good-sized state. 

Tuscon, like St. Augustine, is an un-American, 
and, on a small scale, extremely cosmopolitan city. 
A resident of the place avers that on its streets 
may be heard eighteen different languages. Amer- 
icans, Mexicans, Germans, Russians, Italians, Aus- 
trians. Frenchmen, Spaniards, Greeks, the Chinese, 
Japanese, Portuguese, the African, Irishman, and 
Sandwich Islander are all here, being drawn to the 

spot by the irresistible mining influence. 

57 



58 ARIZONA. 

In 1694 the Spaniards established a military- 
station here, for the defense of their Mission of San 
Xavier. But its Indian occupation antedates that 
day. So, under cloudless skies, and in sight of 
haze-mantled mountains, the place has dreamed 
away the years for centuries past. It contains a 
few modern dwellings, but the majority are built of 
adobe, in the style prevalent throughout this region 
from an early day. Usually they stand flush upon 
the sidewalk, are one story in height, have the 
floors laid upon the ground, and, exteriorly, are but 
straight white walls, pierced for doors and windows. 
Two or three live newspapers find plenty to do 
extolling the town, the climate, and the buried 
wealth of the territory. There are several Protest- 
ant churches, with, of course, a Catholic house of 
worship, and at least two good hotels, the one at 
the railway station being owned by the Southern 
Pacific Company. 

At one side of this hotel is fenced in a pretty 
green inclosure, set with trees, shrubs, and unique 
cacti. On my homeward trip the train halted here 
for dinner, the Pullman car stopping just in front 
of this gem of green. Lazily leaning against the 
fence, like so many towers of Pisa, were a dozen 
bronzed Mexicans, who spent the twenty minutes of 
our stay gazing dreamily at the coaches. Alone 
among them stood a tall, handsome young woman, 
dressed in black, except that over her head was 



TUCSON. ^^ 

thrown a Avliitc shawl of gauzy texture, which fell 
in folds around her shoulders. With one elbow 
resting on the fence, and her eyes fixed upon the 
engine breathing heavily in front of the train, she 
remained still as a statue until the sharp clang of 
the bell, as we moved off, roused her from her 
musings. That maiden was the Past of Arizona 
personified. It needed the shrill bell and piercing 
shriek of the locomotive to break up the chronic 
reverie of the Territory. 

Within a few miles of Tucson is to be seen the 
ancient church of San Xavier, in a state of partial 
ruin. Considering the period in which it was 
reared, and the almost insuperable difficulties over- 
come in conveying materials to the spot, the work 
is a wonder. Reader, in making your visit to the 
Pacufic coast, visit the structure if you can. 




X. 

Fl^OM SUGSOW mo LXOS flNGBLBS. 



CANDLE-LIGHTING, December 18th, found 
us again aboard the cars, bound for Los An- 
geles. The train, lieavily loaded with passengers 
hastening to the sunny clime, was due on the coast 
next day at sunset. All night we coursed over the 
desert, a welcome rain laying the dust toward morn- 
ing. Daybreak greeted us at Yuma, the half-way 
point. 

Yuma may be imagined as a small town, lying 
on the Colorado, just above the entrance of the 
Gila. The place is scarcely more inviting than the 
desert itself. As usual, the houses are made of 
adobe chiefly. Mexicans are the more numerous 
class of inhabitants; and the climate, extremely 
mild in Winter, is insufferably hot in Summer. A 
fort in the vicinity is garrisoned by a. small detach- 
ment of United States troops; and decidedly start- 
ling, it is said, are the adjectives the soldiers some- 
times employ to express the high temperature which 
prevails in the place a good share of the time. 

Yuma is the capital of a district of Arizona, 

once occupied by the Indian nation so called. 

Over a century ago this tribe numbered above three 

thousand persons, who styled themselves "Sons of 
60 



FROM TUCSON TO ANGELES. 61 

the River." History designates them as being at 
that time a strong, sensible, and energetic race. 
To-day the case may be differently stated. Only 
a few years ago the Yumas counted but nine hun- 
dred and thirty souls, and every one of them was a 
wreck physically. 

There is still a day's ride before us, and all the 
morning there is a genuine charm in the fantastic 
vegetation of the desert, and the more so, as it is 
refreshed by the flilling rain. After some hours 
we enter the San Gorgonio Pass, in the mountains 
of that name, and when at the summit have at- 
tained the highest elevation between Deraing and 
Los Angeles. The next step is to strike out upon 
the great mesa which skirts for a distance of eighty 
miles, probably, the base of the rugged Sierra Madre 
Mountains, in full view now on our right, until we 
enter the city. Of this plain more will be said in 
a subsequent chapter. 

From this onward the stations become more 
frequent. Flowers, carpets of thick, green grass, 
and new varieties of ornamental trees, attract us at 
all of them. San Bernardino, located a few miles 
off the railway toward the north, is the first name 
with which we are familiar. Carriages are in wait- 
ino- to convey passengers thither, as the train draws 
up ut the little " outlet station " for the place. San 
Bernardino is one of the many health resorts of 
Southern California which are growing in reputa- 



62 ARIZONA. 

tion. Its warm springs and peculiar climate ren- 
der it an especially propitious locality for the victims 
of rheumatism. 

We next hear of Riverside, distinctively a cen- 
ter for raisin culture. To this expanding industry 
and to the place itself we shall devote a succeeding 
chapter. As we approach Colton, a rapidly grow- 
ing town, and now important as the point where 
the " California Southern " intersects the Southern 
Pacific Railway, Riverside lies nine miles to the 
south-east of us. 

At five o'clock in the afternoon our train landed 
its freight of human beings, trunks, and carpet-bags 
at the depot in Los Angeles. Here we were to 
tarry but four days and then urge our way into the 
Valley of the Ojai, lying ninety miles north of the 
city, and reputed to be "the healthiest spot on the 
globe." Rain having fallen most of the day, the 
streets of Los Angeles were narrow seas of mud. 
And although the sun beamed out brightly just 
then the atmosphere was chilly. We shivered in 
our warmest wraps. The question was: Are we 
really in Southern California, the land of radiance 
and even temperature, of which we have heard so 
much? It was hardly just to let the first hour decide. 

Driving immediately to the St. Charles Hotel, 
to whose kindly and sympathetic manager we bore 
letters of introduction, we were at once made com- 
fortable with a warm room and an appetizing sup- 



FROM TUCSON TO LOS ANGELES. 63 

pci' — I 'm too old-fi\,sliionccl to call the six o'clock 
evening meal, dinner. Probably I shall get used to 
it, for that is the name it goes by, at all the first- 
class hotels, in this nineteenth century. That "it 
is not in man that walketh to direct his steps," soon 
became sadly evident to us. The four days length- 
ened to eleven. For one of us they were days of 
l)ain and suffering. For the other they were 
crowded with anxiety and watching. When they 
were passed, the sufferer had fallen asleep until the 
end comes. A few days later he was laid away, 
among strange dead, on a gentle hill-slope, facing 
the sunset. Then the survivor took up this pen. 




XI. 
©HE (qWY OB LiOS pNGBLES. 



THE city of Los Angeles, four years ago, well 
known to but comparatively few persons living 
east of the Mississippi, appeared to have just wakened 
from its century-long slumber, and to have entered 
upon a career of amazing prosperity. The Southern 
Pacific Railroad had been completed between two 
and three years previously, and now formed, with 
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe road, a high- 
way of steel across the formidable Great American 
Desert. By these instrumentalities a toilsome and 
dangerous journey, requiring months for its accom- 
plishment, had been shortened to a pleasant and every 
way comfortable, though somewhat monotonous, 
ride of about three days. The effect was magical. 
Thousands of people from all over the region east 
of the Rocky Mountains began pouring into South- 
ern California, the city of Los Angeles being the 
center from which they radiated to everywhere, 
ferreting out the lovely nooks for homes, and the 
eligible situations for farms and towns. Thus was 
the old Spanish city, together with the thousand 
charming hills and vales surrounding it, aroused to 

a new and marvelously vigorous life. 
64 



THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES. 



65 



The unwholesome, one-story adobe houses, once 
the only style seen in the city, and still numerous 
in the portion termed "Sonora-town," or the Mex- 
ican quarter, were fast disappearing, and in their 
stead were rising tasteful frame dwellings for resi- 
dences, and durable brick structures for stores and 
business houses. The population of the place did 




An Adobe Huin. 

not greatly exceed twenty thousand, and was a mix- 
ture of many nationalities. In the next three years 
the number of its inhabitants nearly doubled, and 
now, February, 1887, it claims forty thousand citi- 
zens, a note received from there to-day, certifying 
to that effect. 

Four causes, mainly, have promoted this aston- 
ishing growth. These are: First, the Southern 
PacijRc Eailway, bringing hither not only all the 
East, but Northern California as well; second, the 



QQ CALIFORNIA. 

almost faultless climate of the region; third, the 
astonishing fertility of the soil; and lastly, the 
sleepless enterprise of its people. Among these, 
English-speaking Americans predominate in num- 
bers, wealth, and influence. Next in numbers come 
the Spanish-speaking Americans, or native Califor- 
nians, of whom there are in Los Angeles County 
between ten and twelve thousand. Then follow 
the representatives of a dozen different languages, 
among them a scarcity of Frenchmen, but a multi- 
plicity of Chinese and Germans. The Jews are a 
numerous class, and are said to possess the prepon- 
derance of wealth. 

The city lies on the west bank of the Los An- 
geles River, inland from the sea, eighteen miles, on 
the west, and twenty-one miles on the south. Built 
chiefly in the valley of that stream, down which it 
daily urges its way, to the westward and southward, 
it yet steadily pushes its limits up the hills on the 
north-west, to-day taking possession of one com- 
manding height, and to-morrow of another. In- 
deed, the time hastens when all that fine series of 
elevations lying between the town and the San 
Fernando Mountains will be crowned with hand- 
some homes, and be laid out in lawns and gardens, 
where the visitor may delight himself amid an ex- 
uberance of trees, flowers, and climbing vines. 

Many intelligent persons who have never visited 
this section of the coast, think of Los Angeles as lo- 



THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES. 67 

cated immediately upon the ocean shore, just as they 
suppose Portland, Oregon, to be situated upon the 
brink of the Cohirabia River, and should they sud- 
denly be set down in the brisk city, would at once 
look around for a sight of the big blue sea, or 
would listen for the roar of its tumbling waves. 
Nor is this lack of correct geographical knowledge 
at all surprising. One can not know every thing, 
and necessarily the maps do not represent the facts 
accurately. It requires no small fraction of one's 
time to acquaint himself with the details of matters 
right at one's door. To grasp all that are embraced 
■within the horizon would demand several " three- 
score years and ten." 

Los Angeles has two outlets to the sea, as fol- 
lows: Santa Monica, a pretty village lying on the 
coast, eighteen miles west of the city, was formerly 
the chief port of landing, but being somewhat 
ineligible, and San Pedro, on the shore, twenty-one 
miles south of the city, having been declared by the 
Government the port of entry for Southern Cali- 
fornia, the piers were removed from Santa Monica, 
and the place became simply a sea-side resort and 
temporary home for such invalids as are benefited 
by close contact with the ocean. Thus exit from, 
or entrance to, the metropolis by sea is confined to 
San Pedro, which, though but an insignificant place, 
is the entrep6t and outp6t for a large district of 
Southern California. The point has something of a 



68 CALIFORNIA. 

history, and a short chapter will be devoted to its 
attractions further on. 

If you are not making an ocean trip, but desire 
simply to breathe the fresh sea air and rest awhile, 
you may run away either to Santa Monica or to 
Long Beach. The latter resort lies on the eastern 
shore of San Pedro Bay. To both points there is 
railroad communication from the city, and at neither 
is Old Ocean chary of his tonics. At Santa Monica 
you have the foaming, roaring surf, breaking in loud 
thunder on the coast. At Long Beach you may 
enjoy a carriage ride of several miles on the smooth, 
hard-packed sand, in addition to the bathing; and 
should you choose the proper week of the season 
for your visit, you may have a taste of the literary 
fare proffered by the " Chautauqua Society of South- 
ern California," which there holds its annual ses- 
sions. Excellent accommodations are afforded, if 
you have forgotten your tent, at both resorts. 
Lone: Beach boasts one of the finest hotels in the 
co-untry. 

Not to violate the custom of historians, I sup- 
pose I should inform the reader when, and by whom, 
Los Angeles was founded. Very briefly then : On 
the 4th of September, 1781, a company of Spanish 
people — twelve of them men grown — to whom had 
been granted, at this point on the Los Angeles 
River, a tract of land six miles square, came upon 
the ground and laid out this city, giving it the 



THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES. 69 

name it bears, and allotting to it the total tract 
of land. All the original streets traversed this 
square diagonally. And the stranger must be quick- 
minded who can to-day determine in which direc- 
tion he is going without stopping to think. A 
plaza was laid oif and improved, which is even now 
a central pleasure-ground of the city. Fronting it 
on the west was erected the parish church. This 
is still standing, an antique and venerable structure. 
If I mistake not, one or two more of the first build- 
ings erected by the colony are in existence, but one 
by one all that class of houses must succumb to the 
spirit of improvement so rife here. 

Nearly due southward through this territory, 
and east of its middle line, flows the Los Angeles 
River. Some miles south of the city limits it joins 
the San Gabriel River, and with it travels to the 
sea at San Pedro, making a journey of about thirty 
miles from its source in the Sierra Madre Mountains. 

The Los Angeles is one of those streams whose 

bed, at some points, is above the water. In other 

words, it flows underground, or is lost in the sand. 

During the rainy season it enlarges to a broad 

river, with a powerful current and a dangerous 

shifting bottom. Widely overflowing its banks, it 

sweeps away real estate and personal property in 

most merciless fashion. Scarcely a season passes in 

which adventurous men do not lose their lives in 

attempting to cross it with teams when at its flood. 
7 



70 CALIFORNIA. 

Both driver and horses soon disappear benenth its 
restless quicksands. But let the early Autumn 
come! Then the once ruging torrent purls along, a 
narrow, shallow, garrulous brook, which bare-footed 
children may easily ford. 

The rain-fall in Southern California during the 
Winter of 1884 had not been equaled in twenty- 
six years. The Los Angeles then rose to a great 
height. Numberless small tenements, improvidently 
built too near its brink, were swept from their 
anchorage and borne away toward the sea, or were 
ruthlessly wrecked on the spot. From the window 
of my secure hill-top home I could look down upon 
the stream and witness its ravages. Several lives 
were that winter a prey to its waters. 

At a point near the city a certain portion of the 
water of the Los Angeles River is taken up and 
conveyed hither and thither through seventy-five 
miles or more of canals, thus forming the Los An- 
geles Irrigation System. In addition to this, several 
private water companies supply the fluid, from other 
sources, to extensive districts, for house, lawn, and 
garden purposes. The value of effective systems of 
irrigation to horticulture and vegetable farming in 
Southern California exceeds all estimate. So rare 
is frost that a harvest of almost every product 
which grows here, is nearly an absolute certainty 
with a moderate supply of water. 

The canals are called zangas. The superin- 



THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES. 71 

tendent of the system is styled the zangero. Nec- 
essarily he must be a man promptly attentive to 
business. When the day arrives for a certain orange 
orchard or vineyard to be flooded, the zangero must 
have the refreshing liquid ready to laugh and rip- 
ple around the roots of the thirsty trees, the mo- 
ment the gate is opened which admits it to the 
premises. He must also remember who wants it at 
night, and see that such parties get it, and in suf- 
ficient quantity; nor must he fail to withdraw it 
from them in the morning. 

The soft murmuring of the water as it glides 
through the zangas in some of the beautiful suburbs 
of the city is sweet music to the ear, a happy voice 
sending out joy and gladness. Wherever it is heard 
are sure to be seen verdure, flowers, and fruit. 

One of the comforts a stranger appreciates in 
Los Angeles is its well-lighted streets. The place 
can certainly make good its claim to being the best 
lighted city on the continent. From the central 
streets to the most outlying alleys the darkness is 
so far dispelled as to enable the citizens to go about 
with ease. Electricity is the agent by which the 
result is accomplished. Mainly the light radiates 
from a system of tall masts, so located as to in each 
case illuminate the largest possible area. 

In most cities lighted by electricity only the central 
and wealthier portions enjoy the luxury, the remoter 
precincts taking the cheaper illuminators. Usually 



72 CALIFORNIA. 

too, in such cities, the high price of property at the 
heart of things, drives the poor man out into the 
darkness for a home. In Los Angeles the light 
has gone out to this class, and may be termed "the 
poor man's light." Thus, also, are the owners of 
humble homes, as well as the proprietors of the 
more elegant ones, reaping the benefit of the aug- 
mented value of real estate which the system of 
lighting helps to create. 

A peculiarity of the system is the round, flat 
"hood," or reflector, which crowns every mast. 
This both throws the light upon the ground, and pre- 
vents its wasteful radiation through the atmosphere. 
The area illuminated by this plan is, it is asserted, 
twenty times greater than the space formerly lighted 
by gas in the city, while the cost of the arrangement 
is only about twice that of the latter. Per conse- 
quence, the citizens are constantly and generously 
providing for an extension of the facility. This is 
soundly politic; a casting of bread upon the waters, 
which will return a myriad of loaves in less than 
many days. 

Three notable ranges of mountains begirt the 
city of Los Angeles, while farther away, in full view, 
lie several shorter chains. Within some ten miles 
of the place, at their nearest point, and stretching 
off eastward to the San Gorgonio Pass, rise the 
white summits of the Sierra Madre, bold, rugged 



THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES. 73 

elevations, wonderfully suggestive of stability and 
strength. So near do they appear to-day, in this 
strangely clear atmosphere, that from my window, 
when the western sun lights them up, I can plainly 
see into their riven sides. They are the first object 
my eye rests upon in the morning, and the last one 
to be shut out at night. An indescribable solace 
have they often proved to me, a stranger in this 
beautiful but melancholy land. 

One distinguished summit of the range is Mount 
San Bernardino, near the village of that name, and 
sixty-three miles from Los Angeles.- It towers eight 
thousand five hundred feet above sea-level, and in 
all dry, clear weather is visible from here. Another 
lordly projection is Mount Baldy, immediately north 
of Ontario, and easily accessible from that prosper- 
ous colony. Though forty miles from the city, the 
monarch looks down upon the driving Los Angelans 
with the air of a watchful deity. North of the city 
looms up the San Fernando range, shutting out the 
fertile valley and the once wealthy mission named 
in honor of that saint. West of us the Santa 
Monica Mountains sweep proudly down to the verge 
of the Pacific. 



XII. 

Invalids in Southei^n ^alipoi^nia. 



SUNLIGHT is the life of Southern California at 
any time, but especially in Winter. With 
so many snow-capped mountains for near neigh- 
bors, and a great sea close at hand to send in, every 
now and then, vast acres of fog, so dense with 
moisture as to soon set roofs, door-caps, and win- 
dow-ledges to dripping musically, Los Angeles 
would prove but a sorry place for invalids, were it 
not for an abundance of sunlight, and that of a re- 
markable quality. 

Immediately upon the completion of the South- 
ern Pacific Railway multitudes of ill people flocked 
to this part of the coast. The accommodations pos- 
sible for the limited population to offer them, were 
soon more than exhausted, and not a few sick per- 
sons sought ineffectually for entertainment. In the 
short time which has since elapsed there have been 
made large additions in the way of hotels and 
boarding-houses; still each winter the number of 
invalids has exceeded the added provision for their 
comfort. 

At the present time the city is crowded to its 
utmost capacity, and hundreds both of invalids and 
tourists are quartered in the towns adjacent, making 
74 



INVALIDS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 75 

the best of the situation. No doubt many of tlio 
former class left comfortable homes in the North 
and East, with mistaken notions of both the climate 
and the conveniences of life here. Few realized 
that, notwithstanding Southern California was more 
than a century ago in the hands of the Span- 
iards, it is a comparatively new land, and among 
improvements to come, are facilities for the proper 
care of a large force of diseased and disabled men 
and women. Particularly true is this of all the 
new and smaller villages. Nowhere are there ample 
hospital accommodations. Hotel room is inade- 
quate. Indeed, many things are but at the starting 
point. It deserves to be said, however, that the 
readiness of the citizens to serve, and even faithfully 
nurse, invalid strangers, is something remarkable, 
and often far exceeds just demands. A more hos- 
pitable, large-hearted, and sympathetic people does 
not exist than are the American residents of South- 
ern California. To this fact the writer can bear 
grateful testimony. 

Recently an officer of the Young Men's Chris- 
tian Association, who, more than any one else, per- 
haps, is aware of the disappointments encountered 
by many who come to the coast for health, said to 
the writer: 

" Emphasis should undoubtedly be laid by par- 
ties writing back to the States, upon the fact that 
within a very'short time Los Angeles has leaped 



76 CALIFORNIA. 

from a quiescent old Spanish town into a rapidly 
growing American city, but that as yet its limits 
and provisions are insufficient for the complete ac- 
commodation of the thousands of tourists and in- 
valids who converge here from all parts of the 
continent. The city is simply taxed beyond its 
capacity, and in spite of the excellent intentions of 
the citizens, some sick strangers fare hardly. 

"And another thing: Frequently women have 
accompanied husbands to this coast who were just on 
the verge of death, and have suddenly been left here 
without means for returning to their families. For 
such the city has no proper refuge until they can 
either find employment or receive help from their 
friends. In several instances the philanthropic 
citizens have promptly contributed means for re- 
turning them to their relatives." 

These statements were made in 1884. Since 
then the deficiencies have to a considerable extent 
been met. Large hotels and boarding-houses have 
multiplied all over the region. Nevertheless, in the 
Winter of 1886, so vast was the influx of visitors 
from every quarter that shelter could barely be found 
for them all. In the city of Los Angeles, at pres- 
ent, as will appear toward the close of this work, 
are in progress active measures for erecting a spa- 
cious home for such women as may at any time be 
left here in the pitiable plight above mentioned. 
And a year hence, probably, abundant hospital at- 



INVALIDS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 77 

tentions can be guaranteed all those who will require 
such ministries. 

Consumptives and sufferers from rheumatism 
usually picture to themselves an entire winter here 
out of doors, in the enjoyment of genial sunshine, 
and free from annoyance by cruel frost or piercing 
wind. But the Winters are not uniform. During 
that of 1884, for instance, those invalids who sur- 
vived the change of climate, which is very great 
and puts to an immense strain most persons far 
advanced in disease, found themselves confined to 
their rooms nearly one-half the time, and every 
day in need of fire, especially if they were located 
on the sunless side of their residences. Added to 
this, some missed the gentle ministries which so 
much conduced to their pleasure at home. Others 
failed, it may be, to obtain the dishes which 
tempted appetite and kept up strength. Under such 
circumstances, those unattended by friends felt par- 
ticularly desolate. Their maladies rather increased 
than relaxed, perhaps. Happily those who had the 
means could return to their homes, if sufficient 
vitality remained to endure the long journey. But 
what could those do who possessed but slender 
purses, or had no helpful friends? They could do 
but one thing: abide where they were until they 
entered upon their final rest. That has been the 
sad fate of many. Then a few Christian men and 
women, or a half-dozen members of some benevolent 



78 CALIFORNIA. 

order to which they have belonged, will sorrowfully 
consign them to the arms of Mother Earth. 

These are strong and not very cheerful state- 
ments. Yet are they true, and scarcely less so to-day 
than they were three years ago. One needs but to 
note the number of funerals held at the undertaking 
establishments, or to observe the array of newly 
made graves in the cemeteries, to be convinced on 
this point. Most of the graves in which sleep the 
once lonely and needy, will be found marked with 
but a narrow board, and upon it inscribed the 
occupants' name, age, and the date of his death. 

A resident of the city has several times remarked 
to me : " Should we attend the funerals of all the 
invalid strangers who die here we should do little 
else." Some two weeks ago a member of one of 
the well-known transcontinental excursion firms 
stated that of five young men, victims of consump- 
tion, who came to the coast with his last company, 
three passed away within a week after their arrival. 
Not far from our door there entered into rest the 
other day a noble young woman, a teacher in the 
schools of Canada. She had not a relative this side 
the Dominion. Hope of regaining health induced 
her to undertake the long, wearying journey alone. 
The draught upon her strength was too great. Ty- 
phoid fever came in and ended the scene. Leaving 
means too scanty to convey her remains to her 
home, humane hands consigned them to the grave here. 



INVALIDS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 79 

What, then, shall the great army of sufferers in 
our colder latitudes do? Not conic to California? 
Very decidedly, no ; not after death is at the door. 
But come when your disease begins to develop. 
Make the sacrifice of leaving friends and business 
earlier. Study the climate of different localities on 
or near the coast. Or, what is better, have your 
physician do it for you, and before you leave home. 
By all means, get into the right place for your mal- 
ady. Remember that sunlight in Southern Cali- 
fornia is as necessary to the life of sick persons as it 
is to the life of vegetation. Hence secure rooms, if 
possible, which the sunlight enters at least a part of 
the day ; if all day, the better for you. Understand, 
however, that not even this potent agency can re- 
store to health persons just ready to die upon their 
arrival here. 

Conversing with a leading physician of the city 
on this subject to-day, he expressed substantially the 
following opinions, which, though a partial repeti- 
tion of what has already been said, I think best to 
insert here: 

In cases of consumption, where the disease is 
not so far developed as to make recovery impossi- 
ble anywhere, it is a good thing to come to South- 
ern California, for three reasons. First— A change 
of climate and locality is secured. Other things 
being equal, this is an advantage. Second — There 
being, usually, little rain-fall, and no frost to be 



80 CALIFORNIA. 

considered, especially on the hills, opportunity is 
offered to live much out of doors; and life in the 
air and sunlight is the consumptive's prime re- 
quirement. Third — Once here, choice can easily be 
made between the moist, salt air of the sea, the dry, 
bracing atmosphere of the foot-hills, the vigorous 
breath of the open canons, and the genial air of 
the broad, sunny plains or verdant valleys. It has 
been learned that the climate of no single situation 
affects all consumptives alike. One will improve 
on the border of the sea, its stiff breeze and chill- 
ing fog helping. From these the next patient must 
run for his life. Another will take in mouthfuls 
of health with every breath on a hill-top. The 
reasons for this are very apparent. In the various 
patients the disease is at all stages of progress. 
Then each sufferer's ailment is due to a different 
cause. All these are matters which should be intel- 
ligently studied. 

A prudent course, perhaps, is to make Los An- 
geles your initial point. From there removal to 
other localities can be effected at small cost of time, 
money, and strength. The city lies with an hour's 
ride of the two sea-side resorts already named. And 
decking, like lovely gems, the great plain which 
skirts the base of the Sierra Madre Mountains, from 
the charming village of Pasadena, eastward seventy 
miles or more, are the pretty towns of Garvanza, 
Monrovia, San Gabriel, Pomona, Ontario, Etiwanda, 



INVALIDS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 81 

and San Bernardino, all oifering special inducements 
in the way of scenery, situation, climate, good water, 
or healing springs. All lie near or upon the South- 
ern Pacific Railway, and afford one or more well- 
kept hotels, while many of the private families open 
their homes to strangers in cases of exigency. San 
Bernardino treats rheumatic people to mud baths. 
Ontario tents asthmatic visitors in the mouth of her 
San Antonio canon. Consumptives may distribute 
themselves all over the prairie, as suits their case. 
Santa Ana, fiirther south on the plain, is said to be 
an excellent point for them. In some of these 
places there is not so remarkable a difference be- 
tween the air of the day and the night, as at Los 
Angeles. 

San Diego, on the coast, one hundred and thirty 
miles south of Los Angeles, and connected therewith 
by rail and by steamer, undoubtedly offers better 
conditions for the cure of consumption and throat 
disorders than does this city. But once more patients 
diagree. A clergyman from the vicinity of Boston, 
who had for several months tested the climate of San 
Diego for a severe throat affection, said he " could 
breathe most freely where fogs are frequent." Oh the 
contrary, a friend in this city, similarly afflicted, finds 
respiration most difficult in a moist atmosphere, and 
therefore chose as her place of residence a delight- 
ful hill-top.above the altitude of ordinary fogs. 



XIIT. 

^HAT Shall we ^eaf^? 



THE question of clothing on the Pacific Coast is 
an important one. Ordinarily the same ap- 
parel may be worn the year round, and should be 
composed of such garments as form the indoor 
Winter raiment throughout the East. Neither old 
nor young, sick nor Aveli, should stray hither un- 
supplied with both light and heavy wraps. Of 
nights and mornings they are indispensable to com- 
fort, especially on days when the sun refuses to 
shine. Happily such days are few. As has been 
said, from the sun, in large part, come the cheer, 
the enjoyment, the recuperation, and strength so 
ardently anticipated by the thousands who seek the 
coast in Winter. From the first of October until the 
middle of June, warm shawls, Newmarkets, fur-lined 
cloaks, and heavy overcoats are in brisk demand, 
except, perhaps, at midday, and are often welcome 
at evening throughout the Summer. Light cloth- 
ing, made of linen, cambrics, and similar fabrics, is 
never needed except on a few days in Midsummer, 
and even then can easily be dispensed with. 

Last October there came to Los Angeles a lady 

S2 



WHAT SHALL WE WEAR? 83 

from — somewhere in tlio East — bringing an ample 
Sunnncr wartlrobe, and leaving at home most of her 
Winter attire. She expected to find the tempera- 
ture ranging in the neighborhood of ninety or one 
hundred degrees. Late in April that portion of 
her outfit remained snugly packed in her trunks. 
As she went up the coast early in May, passed the 
Summer in San Francisco, where such apparel sel- 
dom gets an airing, made an Autumn visit in Or- 
egon, and returned to her home in December, her 
thin dresses had a long, restful trip. 

A bright woman at my side says: 

"When I left Michigan, a few years ago, a 
doleful asthmatic, with scarcely a hope of relief, 
even in Southern California, my friends laughed at 
the idea of my bringing flannels. ^What possible 
need of such garments,' they asked, Mn a land of 
perpetual bloom?' So I left my warm underwear 
to freeze in the Wolverine State, while I did the 
same thing in Los Angeles." 

There is another point: Many invalids delay 
their journey to the Pacific Coast until too late in 
the season, numbers coming towards the middle 
of Winter. The danger of taking cold is then 
much increased, since heavy rains are imminent. 
Pneumonia comes with them, and is on the alert 
for strangers with weak lungs, often quickly chang- 
ing the scene for the sufferers, by shutting out this 
world. It is stated that about ninety of every one 



84 CALIFORNIA. 

hundred persons contract a severe cold immediately 
upon reaching the coast. This is a sort of toll the 
climate exacts for the delights it means to confer 
afterwards. A little caution exercised for some 
days might cheat it out of that revenue. Dress 
warmly; avoid draughts of air; carry a wrap on 
your arm, if yon go out at midday to remain after 
four o'clock. 

Upon arriving in Los Angeles health-seekers 
should avoid, particularly in Winter, apartments on 
the first floors of brick, adobe, and even frame 
dwellings, if the floors are laid near the ground. 
An adobe house is seldom more than one story 
in height. The floors are rarely raised above the 
soil; hence the rains render them damp and un- 
wholesome. Moreover, the initiated claim that the 
older adobe residences are little better than hot- 
beds for engendering malaria. Malignant fevers 
lurk among their sand and gravel. In all such 
quarters fire is the more indispensable, and in 
Southern California the word fire means something. 
A large portion of the coal used comes from Aus- 
tralia, and each ton costs a small fortune. The 
crooked roots of the "grease-bush," together with 
the trimmings from the eucalyptus, pepper, and 
other trees, constitute the staple for wood. Coal-oil 
is meeting with some favor here as a fuel, but the 
heat from it is not the most agreeable in living 
rooms for the seriously ill. 



XIV. 

P FOI^MEI^ I7OME OP GENEI^AL and 



A CURIOSITY which finds satisfaction in visit- 
ing localities where flagrant crimes have been 
committed, is a quality utterly lacking in the writer. 
I would not walk one rod to see where a notorious 
criminal had lived or died. Nor would I write 
one line to spread the fame or perpetuate the name 
of such a being. But I freely confess that I find 
pleasure in looking upon the dwelling-place, in 
contemplating the work, in standing beside the grave 
of man or woman who has spent this life in well- 
doing. In such places, in such woi-k, there is in- 
spiration. Something about them always suggests 
the character of the persons, their loveliness, genu- 
ineness, taste, and power, and strengthens you. 

These notions found a practical application this 
morning in a visit paid to the former home of Gen- 
eral — then Captain — and Mrs. W. S. Hancock, who 
for several years before the Rebellion were residents 
of Los Angeles. Descending the long, zigzag, pub- 
lic staircase which leads from upper to lower Third 
Street, and thence passing on down to Main Street, 

and crossing that diagonally, turning a little to the 

8 S5 



86 CALIFORNIA. 

right, I stood in front of a square brick cottage, 
one story in height, and painted red. A wide ve- 
randa, ample for a half dozen persons to sit and 
chat at eventide, shaded its two front doors. This 
spot afforded a view of the magnificent sunsets, and 
from all I have learned was the favorite resort of 
the few American residents of Los Angeles in that 
early day. 

The house was built for Captain Hancock about 
the year 1859, by the present mayor of the city, 
Mr. E. C. Thom, himself a devoted personal friend 
of the Hancocks. The dwelling is a duplicate of 
the one in which Mr. Thom then resided, and which 
now stands on the adjoining lot, to the left of the 
cottage, the mayor's present stately home being on 
the right of it, with a narrow street intervening. 
In the yard surrounding the cottage, their trunks 
half buried in a mound of loose earth, stand several 
orange-trees, now destitute of fruit. Originally this 
yard, set with flowers, vines, fruit and ornamental 
trees, formed a scene of beauty which both families 
enjoyed. Mrs. Hancock is said to have been pas- 
sionately fond of flowers. 

Hearing the sounds of workmen inside, and both 
front doors standing wide open, I walked in, and 
in one of the back rooms found a young man, who, 
upon learning ray errand, very courteously acted 
the part of host to the empty house and furnished 
me the information I sought. The plan of the 



A FORMER HOME OF GEN. HANCOCK. 87 

dwelling is very peculiar, and suggests that it was 
devised for both the pleasure and the convenient 
entertainment of guests, and back of that, that the 
builder himself was a man hospitably inclined. The 
main part is done off into four square rooms, each 
opening into two others, around a square post in the 
center. Both front rooms have a street entrance, 
three large windows, a fire-place — not grate — with 
marble mantel, and two doors opening into the 
succeeding apartment. These rear rooms once 
opened into additions, ells, or wings, which served 
the purpose of kitchen, laundry, and servants' 
quarters, and partly inclosed the presidio between 
them. Tliese wings are now removed, and in the 
thick walls of the main building appear large aper- 
tures, in which are inserted heavy screws, ready for 
transferring the whole structure to the rear of the 
lot, where 'it will serve as shops, the ground it now 
occupies being required for a new street opening 
between it and the residence of the mayor. Thus 
will be banished to partial obscurity and to business 
purposes a tenement which was once the happy 
home of Almira Russell Hancock, then, as now, one 
of the noblest and most beautiful of American 
women. 

In the society of this frontier post Mrs. Han- 
cock seems to have shone conspicuously, not for her 
personal beauty only, but for her rare charms of 
mind, grace of manners, and kindness of heart. The 



88 CALIFORNIA. 

sweetness of her disposition forms a subject of re- 
mark among old acquaintances here to-day. Men 
and women alike, who knew her well in the various 
relations of life, speak of her with admiration, ut- 
tering never a word of criticism. A gentlemen 
prominent here in that day, said, speaking of her 
this morning: 

"I have never known a woman like her. She 
was obliging to an extreme. Accomplished in 
music, and though herself an Episcopalian, she long 
played the organ in our mingled Protestant services, 
with as much zeal and interest as though she were 
a member of all the churches represented." 

Another, for thirty years a personal friend and 
correspondent of General Hancock, said, with the 
feeling a brother might manifest: 

"I hesitate to speak of her as she deserves, for 
I know her dislike of publicity, her aversion to 
display. But it is true that she seemed to possess 
every trait that can adorn the character of woman. 
During her life in Los Angeles, she was, to a re- 
markable degree, cheerful, hopeful, thoughtful of 
the poor, pitiful towards the sorrowing, and always 
ready to do any thing that would conduce to the 
general welfare of the community. She was a wise 
mother, and reared her two children, Ada and Rus- 
sell Hancock, with the future of their lives always 
in view. She shone in society, but more brightly 
at home. Added to all this, she was beautiful to 



A FORMER HOME OF GEN. HANCOCK. 89 

look at, and had the most expressive eyes I ever 
saw. 

"The years which have intervened," he contin- 
ued, " between their departure from this city, in 
1861, I think, when the general was ordered to the 
east, at the outbreak of the Rebellion, and their 
recent visit here, while they have greatly elevated 
her in social position, appear only to have mellowed 
the qualities we admired, not destroyed them." 

" There were so few of us, American residents, 
in Los Angeles then," said another, who, possessing, 
like Mrs. Hancock, an obliging and helpful spirit, 
had acted as chorister at the much prized Protest- 
ant services, "that we used to count heads every 
Sunday. Often there were only thirty of us all told." 

"The daughter was a lovely girl," said the first 
speaker. "Though she was young when they left 
here, she was very attractive. Her death occurred 
in New York, some eight or nine years since, I can 
not tell just how long. She was eighteen years of 
age, had just graduated from some school in that 
vicinity, and was considered much accomplished. 
To her parents it was a terrible bereavement. 

"Russell, the son is now a successful planter at 
Clarksdale, Mississippi. He must be about thirty 
years of age. He is a mechanical genius, and con- 
structs almost every kind of machinery which the 
exigencies of his business require. Neither of the 
children were born in Los Angeles. Captain Han- 



90 CALIFORNIA. 

cock was transferred to this post, then the principal 
military station of Southern California, from Fort 
Tejon, in Kern County." 

The "recent visit" of General and Mrs. Han- 
cock to Los Angeles, mentioned by this friend, 
occurred the first week of January, 1884, and was 
a time for general rejoicing on the part of those 
who had known and loved them far back in the 
fifties. A royal welcome was given them. There 
was an enthusiastic procession of the citizens in 
their honor on New Year's Day, and, if I mistake 
not, a banquet was tendered them in the evening. 
When it was known that Los Angeles would be 
included in General Hancock's western trip, the 
mayor of the city requested the work of demolish- 
ing their cottage to cease until after their departure, 
in order that Mrs. Hancock might see her early 
home as nearly in the state she left it as possible. 
After seeing it the excellent woman remarked that 
she had " spent the happiest hours of her life in that 
little brick cottage." 

Mrs. Anna Ozier, the widow of Judge Isaac S. 
R. Ozier, who was judge of the Federal Court for 
Southern California in 1854, was one of the first 
five American women who settled in Los Angeles 
after the accession of California, and was an inti- 
mate friend of Mrs. Hancock. She still resides in 
this city, and entertained her old friends when they 
were here. In a talk with her, after I had visited 



A FORMER HOME OF GEN. HANCOCK. 01 

the dismantled cottage, she cited this reminiscence 
of them, among many others. I give her words : 

"One day during a season of heavy rainfall, 
like that we have had this Winter, the entire north 
wall of the captain's house fell out, flat upon the 
ground. The soil of Los Angeles has a migratory 
disposition, and a few days' heavy rain are enough 
to start it traveling in all directions. Besides, the 
brick we got here, in those days, were very porous, 
and they, too, filling with water, were disposed to 
change quarters. 

"It was no trifling occurrence, but the captain 
and Mrs. Hancock took the trouble with the great- 
est good nature. Happening to be coming up the 
street that evening about tea-time, I saw the family 
sitting at table as happy as if nothing were the 
matter. 

"Did I know them intimately? Mercy, yes! 
They lived near us three years, and there was hardly 
an evening when we were not together. Mrs. Han- 
cock had the pleasantest disposition of any woman 
I ever knew, and a brother could not have been 
kinder to me, through all these years, than has been 
General Hancock." 

" If republics are ungrateful, you are not, I see." 

"No; and I shall never forgive this nation for 
not making General Hancock President." 



XV. 

(©ALIPOI^NIA'S GF^BAm F^ISTOI^IAN. 



SOMETIME in the latter part of March, 1884, 
I received from the wife of Mr. Hubert H. 
Bancroft, author of the "History of the Pacific 
Coast States," a note stating that her husband, her- 
self, and family would visit Los Angeles at an early 
date in April, and while there would " be glad to 
see me." The lady and her children had wintered, 
I believe, in the Ojai Valley, and now, with the ad- 
vent of Spring, were exchanging that " most health- 
ful of all valleys on the globe" for the sea breeze 
at San Diego, two hundred and twenty miles farther 
south. I had sought from Mrs. Bancroft, as she 
was within quick reach, certain information per- 
taining to her husband's great work ; hence her 
kindly reply. 

Accordingly, next day after their arrival I 
called at the Kimball Mansion, situated on New 
High Street, where I found them comfortably quar- 
tered, with their family of four children, all under 
eight years of age. During the informal interview 
I had opportunity to note how delightful is the 
home atmosphere which surrounds Mr. Bancroft, 
92 



CALIFORXIA'S GREAT HISTORIAN. 93 

aiul also to learn many interesting facts connected 
Mitli his early life, and with the fonndiiig of his 
unique historical library in San Francisco. Most 
persons take pleasure in reading sketches of the life 
and labors of such men as Mr. Bancroft. I there- 
fore present a hastily drawn picture of the great 
historian and his family before speaking of his un- 
exampled literary undertaking. 

Mrs. Bancroft is an attractive and cultured 
woman, whose married life covers nine years. 
She is very youthful in appearance, has a slight 
figure, blue eyes, light hair, and a fair complexion. 
Her manner is extremely cordial, making one for- 
get that she was the acquaintance of but an hour, 
instead of a life-time. She is pleased with her 
husband's growing reputation as an author, has a 
keen api)reciation of the importance of his work, 
and so far as she has the power, compels affairs to 
bend to its accomjilishmcnt. 

The two eldest children are magnificent speci- 
mens of boyhood; strong, athletic little fellows, 
with massive heads on their shoulders, and within 
their breasts a mighty purpose to get out of every 
hour of time the utmost of boy enjoyment. And 
if I judged correctly, their parents mean this purpose 
shall be accomplished, but within limits which shall 
not infringe upon the rights of others, nor destroy 
the capacity of their children to enjoy the higher 

pleasures of life bv and bv. From some thingc 
9 



94 CALIFORNIA. 

which Mr. Bancroft has written, I conclude that a 
favorite opinion of his, is, that in the not very dis- 
tant future the — let us say American — race will 
have made so great advancement in what is termed 
"sublime culture," as to materially lessen the moral 
distance between God and this nation. And, very pos- 
sibly, the man's hope is,that his sons may live and be 
fitted to take part in the affairs of that auspicious 
time. Just where fifty years more of material and 
national development, like that of the past half cen- 
tury — were our rapid progress in countless enormous 
iniquities to suddenly cease — would bring us, even 
the seer endowed with keenest vision could hardly 
foretell. Should it be at dawn of an era so blessed, 
any expectations of that nature which the distin- 
guished historian may entertain, might possibly be 
realized. For, judging from his mode of managing 
his lively sons, he is just the man to train them 
for a life under such conditions, and thus do his 
part towards ushering in the glorious day he paints. 

In the fair daughter, younger than her brothers, 
scarcely less interest centers. I saw her but a few 
moments, but they were enough to convince me 
that, while her brothers are small bundles of con- 
densed action, she is a little package of tranquillity, 
just the article needed in the other end of the bal- 
ance. The fourth child is a son, about three years 
old at the present date. 

Hubert Howe Bancroft is a native of Ohio, and 



CALIFORNIA'S ORE AT HISTORIAN. 95 

adds another name to lier list of eminent men. 
Next to California, that State should feel honored 
in him, and take interest in his great work. He 
was born in Granville, May 5, 1832, and is now 
fifty-five years of age. Mr. Bancroft is a person of 
medium height, rather heavy set, broad chested, 
with square shoulders, which incline forward 
slightly, the result, no doubt, of years of work 
with the pen. He has a large head, thick, iron- 
gray hair, dark eyes, and a Southern complexion. 
His manner is frank and kindly. He impresses- a 
stranger as a man of honest purpose, and great 
decision of character. The sum of his school edu- 
cation was obtained in the district schools of Ohio 
before he was sixteen years of age. 

At that period Mr. Bancroft left home, going to 
Buffalo, where he was employed in a book-store 
owned by his brother-in-law, Mr. George H. Derby. 
Here, for some reason, he failed of the advantage 
he anticipated, and closed his engagement at the 
end of a year, A portion of his journey to Buffalo 
was made on the Ohio Canal. Being rich, not in 
this world's goods, but in having an uncle who was 
the captain of a boat on that ancient water-way, he 
proposed to ride one of the horses attached thereto i 
to the city of Cleveland, in payment for his fare. 
His uncle accepted the offer, and the future histo- 
rian rode into the beautiful Forest City in the ca- 
pacity of a canal-boy. Mr. Bancroft mentioned this 



96 CALIFORNIA. 

circumstance as an amusing experience of his youth, 
rather than otherwise. I wondered at the moment 
if, in relating it, he thought at all of the second 
martyr President, the beginning of whose path to 
eminence also ran along the brink of that canal. 

Leaving Buffalo Mr. Bancroft laid his course 
for the Pacific Coast, via Cape Horn, being intrusted 
by Mr. Derby with an invoice of books and sta- 
tionery with which to open the book-trade in the 
city of San Francisco. Months were consumed in 
making the passage, and before he reached the 
Golden Gate Mr. Derby had died; and upon his 
landing an order met him to re-ship the goods to 
Buffalo. He, however, made a fortunate sale of 
them instead, and remitted the proceeds to Mrs. 
Derby, thereby much improving her financial con- 
dition. 

As early as 1856 Mr. Bancroft had not only be- 
come known on the coast for his habits of industry 
and economy, but had accumulated means to found 
a book-store of his own in San Francisco. Twenty- 
five years later the establishment was one of the 
first of its kind in the. world. About this time his 
grand history project began to take serious shape 
in his mind. Repeatedly during his residence on 
the coast, had his attention been drawn to the fact 
that important material for a true history of Cali- 
fornia was daily losing beyond recovery. He re- 
solved to take steps to preserve it. Immediately he 



CALIFORNIA'S GREAT HISTORIAN. 97 

began to collect books, pamphlets, letters, and docu- 
ments, pertaining thereto. By degrees the field of 
these labors widened, until it embraced the entire 
western half of the continent, from the Rocky- 
Mountains to the great ocean; from Alaska to Pan- 
ama, including Central America and Mexico. 

In pursuance of his purpose now, he not only 
visited the eastern part of the Continent, but made 
several journeys to Europe, each trip adding price- 
less material to his collection. During 1868, with 
twelve thousand volumes of these treasures on hand, 
gathered at an immense cost, he conceived the idea 
of giving them to the world in the form of one 
continuous, carefully written history. But the ques- 
tion was: Could he accomplish such a feat? The 
task involved an unflinching purpose, years of unre- 
mitting toil, the outlay of a fortune, and the pos- 
session of fine literary ability. Did he possess that? 
was another question. Undismayed by this dread 
presentation of the case, he determined to under- 
take the prodigious work. 

Accordingly, releasing himself from the burden 
of business in his book-store, he installed his 
brother, Mr. A. L. Bancroft, manager-in chief of 
the establishment; and, engaging a score of assist- 
ants, began arranging his material in the fourth 
story of their building. His first step was to care- 
fully index the vast collection, just as an author 
would index the subjects in his book. Thus his task 



98 CALIFORNIA. 

was at once greatly facilitated. This work occupied 
an average of six persons ten years, and cost up- 
wards of eighty thousand dollars. 

Meanwhile another set of scribes, taking these 
indexes, abstracted from them the information de- 
sired in reference to any given part of the Terri- 
tory. This was known as the " rough material." 
Next, a third class of writers, better qualified, elab- 
orated this matter into proper historical form,- and 
submitted the result to Mr. Bancroft, who carefully 
revised the work, rewriting such portions as he 
chose. Sometimes, however, beginning back with 
the indexes, he himself wrote out important por- 
tions entirely. 

During all this time the collection of books, 
letters, newspapers, maps of the coast, and of the 
country, and annals in manuscript, went on, until 
over thirty thousand volumes were accumulated, the 
whole constituting a library unapproachable as to 
value in this country, particularly to writers on 
special historical themes, and it related to an area 
equal to one-twelfth of the earth's surface. 

In addition to this, his deputies had long been 
busy, all over this territory, taking notes from aged 
pioneers, military men, statesmen, and surviving 
members of old Spanish families, all of whom, with 
the antecedent Indian tribes, had helped make its 
history. The result of this movement was thou- 
sands of manuscripts filled with the deeds or remi- 



CALIFORNIA'S GREAT HISTORIAN. 99 

niscences of as nicany living people, all of it abso- 
sutely original, and nowhere else existing. 

At the same time another force was busy copying 
papers in county, state, and national archives. Nor 
was this all. Interested persons all over the land 
contributed piles of original documents, swelling 
the mass to vast proportions. Finally this material 
was bound in many folio volumes, inestimable in 
value as sources of reference. 

Twenty-five years in all had now been devoted 
to this work of aggregation. But in an hour fire 
might reduce the treasure to ashes. To save it 
from such a fate, Mr. Bancroft determined to place 
over it a shelter absolutely fire-proof. The time 
had been brought down to 1881. Accordingly, 
during that year he erected, far out on Valencia 
Street in San Francisco, a large, two-story, fire- 
proof repository, and- therein, in orderly arrange- 
ment, set up his possessions. This building with 
its contents forms the famous Bancroft Library, 
report of which has gone so far abroad. 

All this was the munificent preparation for what 
the papers have termed Mr. Bancroft's "stupendous 
undertaking," namely, the writing the " History of 
the Pacific Coast States of North America." But 
introductory to this, and according to a plan which 
shows Mr. Bancroft's correct judgment, as regards 
the order in which the different epochs of American 
history should be presented, was to be published, a 



100 CALIFORNIA. 

"History of the Native Races of the Pacific Coast 
States," in five volumes. One of these was to deal 
with the wild tribes of the entire region, and 
another with the " Civilized Nations of Mexico and 
Central America." These five volumes are already- 
issued. After them comes the history proper, cov- 
ering the extent of country I have designated, and 
embraced in thirty volumes. 

Closely related to the history, but more effective, 
published apart from it, come four volumes, entitled, 
first, "California Pastoral," being an account of 
life and times under tlie early Catholic missionaries; 
second, "California Inter Pocula," or life during 
the gold mining period ; and third, " Popular Tri- 
bunals," or the acts of California Vigilance Com- 
mittees. Thus the complete great work includes 
thirty-nine volumes, and is a vast repository, packed 
from cover to cover with facts pertaining to the 
habits, customs, sorrows, pleasures, religions, and 
achievements of the races which have successively 
held sway on the Pacific Coast. Mr. Bancroft 
expects the year 1890 to witness the completion of 
his task, should he live to urge forward its compo- 
sition and jMiblication. 

Mr. Bancroft's work will live after him. As 
well might we relegate to the periods which pro- 
duced them the histories of Rollin, D'Aubigne, 
Alacaulay, and Proscott, as to confine this gigantic 
record of past deeds and events to the present. 



CALIFORNIA'S GREAT HISTORIAN. 



101 



No, w^ must accord it life for all time. There will 
be, lu)^vever, this difference in its usefulness. The 
above authors are read by thousands upon thousands 
of the common people, because in sco])e, and time, 




and subject they are limited to narrow bounds, and 
cost but u trifle. But from its very size and expense 
the " History of the Pacific States of North Amer- 
ica" will find entrance only into public libraries and 
the book-cases of the rich. 



302 CALIFORNIA. 

Notwithstanding, there is in the work much of 
interest for readers old and young. What boy or 
girl in all the Union would not sit entranced over 
the volume on the wild tribes of the coast? In 
some parts its style is plain even to homeliness, but 
it is suited to the subject, and allows the interest to 
flag not for a moment. In other portions the story 
runs on in clear, ringing, picturesque sentences. 
Savage men and women stand before the reader, 
creatures of a wonderfully distinct photography. 
One lives among them ; sees with his own eyes their 
homes, children, old people; goes with them to 
weddings, funerals, and wars; is interested, amused, 
or shocked, according to the circumstances. Take, 
for instance, the description of the temescal, or sweat- 
house, an institution common to many of the tribes. 
Virtually one enters the strange place, feels the 
effects of the heat and'steam, enjoys the final drowsi- 
ness and comfort, and upon emerging from the pit 
wonders no"t at all that the vagabonds of the tribes 
are often the victims of some pain or disease which 
can be driven out of them only by a thorough 
steaming and a long, sound sleep; nor that in the 
Winter these ills are most frequent. 

The second volume, treating of the civilized 
races of Mexico and Central America, is a narrative 
of marvelous life and doings. Its pages are equally 
captivating for the cultured or untutored reader. 
There Spain found and destroyed "a civilization in 



CALIFORNIA'S GREAT HISTORIAN. 103 

some respects greater than her own." There she 
caused rivers of innocent human blood to flow, in 
the name of religion and for love of gold. In these 
two volumes are depicted every phase of human 
nature, from the reptile-eating cave-dwellers to the 
enlightened Maya-Quicha people of the southern 
table-lands. To the last line their history is a tale 
which holds spell-bound the one who believes that 
"every thing connected with man deserves man's 
most careful study." 

Mr. Bancroft's account of the Spanish conquest 
of Peru is the most clear and succinct I have ever 
read. One finishes the chapters with a well-defined 
idea of the cause and the manner of the Tncarial 
overthrow. Sketched to the life are the mercenary 
men who conceived and accomplished it. Their 
motives, their insatiable greed, their disregard of 
human life, are brought out into noonday light. 
A mere handful of starved, insubordinate, and des- 
perate adventurers, they conquer, when at the zenith 
of its glory, an empire, opulent and teeming with 
people, and so re-enact the r61e of Hernando Cortez 
in the subjugation of Mexico. 

For specialists in the many fields of literature, 
this unequaled history will prove a mine of wealth 
for all the future of America. Scarcely a question 
can arise, touching the race, but here may find 
something to the point. 



XVI. 

pN III ^ind Shat Blew Good. 



THE six weeks rain-fall which drenched the soil 
of Southern California during February and 
March of this year, 1884, will long be remembered 
for the freshets it produced, the lives it cost, and 
the property it destroyed. On several of the streams 
between this city and the desert, the bridges of the 
Southern Pacific road were either swept away or 
rendered unsafe, detaining passengers and mails for 
days in succession, at points where supplies were 
difficult to obtain. Buildings and stock Avere caught 
up by the resistless currents, wrecking the former 
and drowning the latter. Acres of land were spir- 
ited away to the ocean. Many kinds of business 
were seriously checked. Invoices of Spring goods 
dallied on the desert. Nearly every body looked 
doleful and felt apprehensive. The local weather 
prophets enhanced the trouble by foretelling still 
heavier floods before affairs should mend. Invalids, 
scattered in all directions, confined indoors most of 
the time, sighed for the latitudes where frost im- 
prisons the streams and adorns the window-panes. 

But after awhile the wind which had so long 
blown ill changed its course, and as generously blew 
good. The earth, hard as stone, and almost impos- 
104 



AN ILL WIND THAT BLEW GOOD. 105 

sible to cultivate when dry, had been wet down to 
an unusual depth, and could now be worked to 
advantage. This gave a fresh impetus to tree- 
planting all over the broad plain stretching between 
the. Sierra Mad re and the sea, south and east of the 
city. The citizens of Santa Ana, Orange, Tustin, 
Westminster, and other thriving villages dotting 
this plain, awoke to the value of the opportunity, 
and early in April were setting trees. Meeting 
a tourist from that section of the country this 
morning, I inquired what varieties of trees were 
planted in largest numbers. 

"The orange, lemon, lime, olive, apricot, pear, 
and others, for fruit; the pepper and eucalyptus, for 
shade and ornament," he replied. "The nursery- 
men," he continued, "are paying the owners of 
teams ten dollars per day for drawing trees to pur- 
chasers. On my way up to the city I rode some 
distance with one of these teamsters, who had on 
his wagon ten thousand apricot, pear, and olive trees 
for horticulturists at some point. He said he dis- 
tributed nearly that number daily. And how they 
take hold and grow! Hardly is the ground well 
packed around the roots ere they show themselves 
at home in the new situation." 

In one's rambles on this plain, one hears not a 
little about the change of climate likely to result 
from this lavish extension of orchards, groves, and 
vineyards. There are those who think the move- 



106 CALIFORNIA. 

ment will, in time, materially shorten the long sum- 
mer drought of past days by bringing down showers 
of rain. Every tree, it is contended, set in the 
valleys or on the hill-sides becomes a leafy reservoir 
for the storage of water. Not only so, it performs 
a double duty in the case. The roots retain the 
water which otherwise would flow away, especially 
in sloping situations; while the top, a manifold 
canopy sheltering the ground, prevents its evapora- 
tion from about the roots. At the same time the 
leaves, from their million mouths, pour into the air, 
of a sunny day, an invisible cloud of moisture. 
With millions of trees united in the beautiful work, 
the atmosphere will be charged with vapor, which, 
condensing in the night, or by coming in contact 
with a body of cooler air, will descend in showers, 
blessing the earth. 

Possibly the thousands of acres of trees already 
well-grown on this vast prairie, where once scarce 
a tree was to be seen, may account for the several 
copious showers which fell in the Summer of that 
year. But whether tree-planting shall or shall not 
greatly aifect the climate in Los Angeles and San 
Diego counties, the work is certain to produce busi- 
ness, fill the local markets with luscious fruits, and 
render very picturesque the country. Therefore 
may the desirable industry flourish. 

If the reader wall glance at a well-executed map 
of these counties, he will find a branch of the 



DOWNEY. 107 

Southern Pacific Railway extending from Los An- 
geles south-eastwardly to the bright little village of 
Santa Ana, at present the terminus of the road. 
The distance is forty-two miles. The route lies 
through the rich plain of which we have been 
speaking, and which was once a part of the cele- 
brated San Joaquin rancho. It is one of the most 
productive portions of semi-tropic California. Be- 
sides the towns I have already mentioned, those of 
Downey, Norwalk, and Anaheim, with their exten- 
sive orchards and vineyards, grace leagues of coun- 
try along the way. From the window of my room 
on this hill-top I can trace the location of some of 
these places, as I look down the Los Angeles Val- 
ley toward the sea. Since this is a bright morning, 
suppose we step aboard the cars, take a run through 
the fine district, and spend the night at Santa Ana. 
As we speed along you notice that all manner 
of fruits are cultivated — oranges, lemons, olives, 
apricots, apples, grapes, figs, bananas, English wal- 
nuts, and many others. 

DOWNEY. 

At Downey, named for a recent governor of 
California, and twelve miles out, we come to a 
community of several hundred inhabitants. The 
place is noted for the cultivation of figs and grapes. 
At an exhibit of county fruits, held in Los Angeles 
in October, my attention was drawn to a magnificent 



108 



CALIFORNIA. 



display of Malaga grapes from here. The weight 
of nearly every cluster approximated to four pounds. 
Beside these, its roots firmly imbedded in a tub 
of sand, was stationed a vigorous Malaga vine, 
weighed down with enormous bunches. How the 
slender branches could sustain such a burden through 




The F'ig. 

the season of growth was a wonder. Close at hand 
lay small heaps of nine other varieties, very tempt- 
ing to sight and taste, among them the Muscat, Sul- 
tana, Sweetwater, and Flaming Tokay. 

But of greater interest to me than these was an 
array of large, rich figs, fresh from the trees, four 
varieties, the White Smyrna, Brown Turkish, Plym- 
outh Rock — chickens, by no means — and the New 
Pacific, a fig remarkable for its fine flavor and quick- 



DOWNEY. U)U 

drying quality. The While Sinynia having; hccii 
longest known has the vvi(h's( rcpiilalion and readiest 
market. The New Pacific seriously threatens ((• hu- 
porsode it, however. I'^-esh, rip<! fifjjH hear len}!;(hy 
transportation no better than do ripe peaches ; and 
picked before they are fully ripe, are not a particle 
more savoiy than ar(^ green tomatoes. 

Under a California sun, not t<io hot, figs dry in 
from three to four days. Vov domestic use, house- 
keepers often cure them in the oven of the eooking- 
8tov(! or range. Care must always be taken, of 
(!oni'He, to preserve the projx'r tcniperalnrc, or lh<!y 
will sour. The 11^- produces tlu! second year Ironi 
planting, and bears at the same time both green 
and ripe fruit. Set in damp situations the tree 
thrives like the willow; in dry jiositions it requires 
irrigation. There are orchards nundx-ring twenty- 
five hundred trees, in full bearing, at Downey. 
Fresh figs are very cheap in Los Angeles, but the 
dried fruit retails at twenty-live cents the ])ound. 
Countless private gardens in Southern California 
contain one or more fig trees of a good variety. 

Befi)re ciontinuing our journey I wish to call 

attention to a gentleman who makes a specialty of 

raising bananas on the foot-hills, some three miles 

or so from Los Angeles. This is Mr. J. W. Potts, 

to whom the city newspapers, during the great flood 

of last Winter, gave the euphonious sobiifpiel of 

" Prophet Pot>ts." In size and general appearance 
10 



liO CALIFORNIA. 

Mr. Potts closely resembles the picture of old Father 
Time in the ancient Webster spelling-book. He 
has a short, slight figure, iron-gray hair, a small 
face, a sharp chin, and an exceedingly attenuated 
voice. He speaks rapidly and nervously. His 
manner partakes of the searching investigative 
kind. Equipped with hour-glass and scythe he 
would readily be mistaken for the original of the 
spelling-book illustration. 

Mr. Potts came to Los Angeles trom somewhere 
in the East, in the ever-memorable year of 1849, 
an enthusiast, not in gold-hunting, but in fruit- 
culture, as he himselt told me. Having long been 
a close observer of the laws which operate in the 
domain of the atmosphere, he some time before it 
occurred, predicted the very unusual rain-fall of last 
Winter, adding that it would be attended with dis- 
aster and heavy loss. The fulfillment of the pre- 
diction secured him his title. 

For four years past Mr. Potts has paid consider- 
able attention to raising bananas on his farm among 
the foot-hills. He asserts that of his three hundred 
and fifty trees, from twelve to fourteen feet in 
height, not one has ever been touched by frost. 
During the year 1883 these trees were laden with 
the delicious fruit at every stage of growth, and re- 
quiring some nine months for its perfection. Some 
of this fruit hung on the trees unharmed during the 
Winter of 1883-84, one of the most trying, for cold, 



ANAHEIM. Ill 

ever known here. This is regarded as conclusive 

evidence of the safety of tender fruits growing on 

elevated situations near Los Angeles. Mr. Potts 

irrigates a portion of his trees once during the 

season, and others not at all. Their position decides 

the question, I suppose. This gentleman says he 

was present, over thirty years ago, when Mr. William 

Wolfskin planted his famous orange orchard, a spot 

which few visitors to Los Angeles fail to see, and 

avers that not once since then has there been frost 

sufficient in Southern California to injure large 

orange trees. 

ANAHEIM. 

Two things give Anaheim, our next point on 
the road, prominence in the country and the news- 
papers. These are its wineries and ostrich farm. 
The rearing of ostriches being a rare undertaking 
in America, these birds excite much curiosity on 
the part of visitors to the Pacific Coast. The 
ostriches are farmed about seven miles from the 
village, and at present number forty or more. I 
have not seen them, but have been told that about 
half of them are full grown, and measure, from the 
ground to the top of tlic back, from eight to nine 
feet. The ostrich is a timid fowl, but the males 
when irritated are disposed to be violent, towards 
their mates, and towards men and animals. It is 
reported that even their former careful and humane 
superintendent, Dr. Sketchley, occasionally became 



ANAHEIM. 113 

the object of their wrath at Anaheim ; and, also, that 
one of the birds, a Hercules for strength, becoming 
enraged at his mate not long ago, raised one of liis 
powerfid legs and dealt her a terrific blow, when 
(jiiickly she was no more. I will not vouch for the 
tiiith of these statements. Undoubtedly the African 
bird holds, as many men do, that he has a right to 
strike his wife. Dr. Sketchley, no longer at 
Anaheim, but now actively engaged in founding a 
/(xtlogical garden, on a scale of munificence in 
keeping with every thing Californian, a few miles 
north-west of Los Angeles, among tiie foot-hills of 
the San Fernando Mountains, can answer for him- 
self as to the treatment he received from his Ana- 
heim wards. Here also he is planting a colony of 
these birds of elegant plumage. 

Like the eucalyptus and the pepper tree, the os- 
trich loses its attractiveness as age creeps on. Hence 
the juvenile members of the Anaheim family are most 
in favor with visitors. Some of them are now 
about the size of full-grown turkeys, and are pro- 
spectively very valuable on account of their feathers. 
The first plucking takes place when the bird is 
about a year and a half old. 

The eyes of the ostrich are large and very keen, 
enabling them to discern objects at a great distance. 
Their hearing also is remarkably acute. I have 
been told that the sight of a horse ivispires them 
with great terror, and that a gentleman recently 



114 CALIFORNIA. 

rode one of these animals Avithin view from their 
inclosure at Anaheim, when the birds, catching 
sight of him, were thrown into such fright that the 
rider was forced to remove him. Their cry is loud 
and piercing, and may be heard at a great distance. 
"When contending with a foe they hiss vigorously, 
thus publishing their relationship to the goose." 

The feathers of the ostrich are taken chiefly 
from the tail and wings. Those of the males are 
either white or brown, tipped with black, and are 
remarkable for their length. It is for these long 
plumes mainly that the ostrich is farmed. The 
feathers of the female are dark brown, mingled 
with white. For centuries past the handsome 
,plumes of the African ostrich have been worn by 
men as insignia of their rank. The badge of the 
present Prince of Wales is three white ostrich 
feathers. When John, of Luxembourg, was de- 
feated at Crecy, by Edward the Black Prince, he 
wore in his casque one of their long, white plumes. 
And, even prior to that date, they distinguished the 
house of Plantaganet. The wearing of three feath- 
ers, grouped, in the coronet of an English prince 
is said to have been introduced by Henry, eldest 
son of James the First. Certain young women of 
America must have adopted the fashion, for, seated 
in front of me at church last Sunday morning, was 
a young lady with three white plumes set against 
the front of her hat, its only trimming. 



SANTA ANA. 115 

Anaheim is one of the oldest of recent settle- 
ments in Southern California, having been estab- 
lished nearly twenty-five years ago. It was settled 
by a colony of Germans, who planted extensively 
the "wine grape," introduced by the Spanish mis- 
sionaries. In a few years they were freely engaged 
in the manufacture of wine. They made money at 
the baleful business, and laid it up, as is so natural 
for the frugal Teuton to do, instead of expending it 
in making their surroundings beautiful. And, now, 
in their plain and exteriorly comfortable homes, 
they appear to be taking their ease. A few of the 
residences are very pretty. The place has a drowsy, 
Autumnish look. No new buildings are going up. 
There is no activity in the streets. The spirit of 
enterprise seems to have taken its flight, if it were 
ever here. Anaheim is at the midnight of a long 
sleep. When it wakens it will find that the enter- 
prising villages of Orange, Tustin, and Santa Ana 
have far outstripped it in the race for improvements. 
Leaving here we pass on to the last-named town, 
one of five charming villages occupying the valley 
of the Santa Ana River, seven miles south-east of 
Anaheim, two-and-a-half miles south of Orange, 
with Tustin on the east, and Westminster, a neat, 
thriving town, founded by a colony of enterprising 
temperance people, who at the beginning forever 
barred out the saloon by proviso in their act of 
incorporation, lying due south of it. 



116 CALIFORNIA. 

Tustin and Orange are little more than col- 
lections of beautiful homes, with a post-office, 
grocery, hotel, store, church, and school-house 
located at the center, while the country adjacent 
presents a net-work of vineyards and orchards 
of all sorts. Access to these places is by carriage. 
Every rod of the ride is delightful. Long lines of 
eucalypti, pepper, and cypress trees grace the 
road on either side. The gates of the pretty 
yards stand invitingly open. The hedges are trim 
and green. Flowers brighten the closely cut lawns. 
The cottages, of a dozen chaste styles, look cool 
and inviting on this warm afternoon. Every thing 
betokens prosperity. Still, so recently were none 
of these things here, that their existence seems like 
the work of magic. 

Santa Ana, the largest of the group, contains 
about two thousand five hundred people. Eleven 
years ago its now vine-clad site was a treeless waste, 
a mere pasture for flocks. Its inhabitants were 
principally Mexicans, and widely scattered. But 
its climate had become known as one in which con- 
sumptives were almost sure to recover. Word to 
that effect reached Minnesota and other North- 
western States. Hither from them came numbers 
of that class of invalids. Few of them could come 
alone. So with them came the strong and well, 
bringing some money, indomitable energy, and 
power to scheme and drive. Mr. J. W. Layman, 



118 CALIFORNIA. 

of Minneapolis, one of the first on the ground, built 
a hotel. Then followed church and school-house. 
Soon up sprang lodges of Masons, Odd Fellows, 
Good Templars, a Band of Hope, and a Post of the 
Grand Array of the Republic, all wide-awake in 
their legitimate fields of activity, and now possess- 
ing their own inviting halls for meetings. Trans- 
planting their love of refinement into the new soil, 
the citizens foster art in several of its departments, 
and pay liberal stipends to teachers. 

From the Santa Ana River and the two strata, 
sheets, or lakes of water which underlie the entire 
plain, one at a depth of sixty, the other at a dis- 
tance of three hundred feet, is derived the water 
supply for this coterie of settlements. For domestic 
purposes the fluid is obtained through artesian 
wells, sunk to the second stratum. To sum up, 
the three strong points of the region are: An 
almost faultless climate, a wonderfully fertile soil, 
an inexhaustible supply of pure, cold water. 

Eight miles south of Santa Ana lies Newport 
Bay, the most accessible sea-side resort. In full 
view from it, and near enough for an enjoyable sail, 
are the islands of San Clemente and Santa Catalina, 
notable for their scenic charms and historical asso- 
ciations. 

Something like a mile below Santa Ana, on 
property belonging to one Captain West, are to be 
seen the ruins of an old adobe house, which, you 



SANTA ANA. 119 

will be told, was the birthplace of the famous 
Mexican General and President, Santa Anna. But 
history robs the place of this honor. A friend, fa- 
miliar with every page of the man's career, informs 
me that the Mexican President never saw California. 
Antonio Lopez was a native of the State of Jalapa, 
Mexico. At one time in his life he was the pro- 
prietor of a handsome estate in that republic, which, 
out of gratitude for the services of Sant Anne, he 
named Santa Anna. There being other men in 
Mexico of the name of Lopez, he in time came to 
be designated as Lopez de Santa Anna; and, later, 
by the American newspapers, and also by the Amer- 
ican army during the war with Mexico, as General, 
then President Santa Anna. To this river and val- 
ley the name Santa Ana was given by the "Mis- 
sionary Fathers" during their first journey from 
San Diego to Monterey, and long before the day 
of Lopez, of Jalapa. 




XVII. 



LaST Tuesday afternoon it was arranged by the 
lovely woman to whom belongs this hill-top 
home, that I should next day accompany her on a 
visit to a floral garden lying just within the western 
limits of the city, and of which one Peter Ramau, 
a native of Hungary, and a singular specimen of 
the genus homo, is the proprietor. The day proved 
a delightful one. Overhead nothing but blue; in 
the sunlight an indescribable charm ; an attraction 
which fairly drew people out of doors, and when 
out, produced in them a feeling of happiness and 
exultation. In no other spot on this continent have 
I experienced this exhilarating effect of the sun- 
light. But here ordinarily are to be enjoyed months 
of such days every year — days when you are very 
pleased, and hardly know why. 

Taking a main street car to the Washington Gar- 
dens, two miles from the center of town, we were 
within twenty minutes walk of the premises. Both 
florists and their grounds are plentiful in this part 
of the country, and I write of this man only because 
he is an odd pattern of humanity, after which few 
mortals are fashioned in any land. Such persons 
seem to be freaks of nature, made up of mis- 
120 



A SINGULAR CHARACTER. 121 

matched material, an assorted lot, deviations from 
the normal plan, people; remarkable only for their 
eccentricities. Occasionally I pass such persons on 
the street here. In the veins of most of them flows 
the blood of two races, and sometimes of more. 
Usually their appearance is so striking that one is 
eager to see them again. Not a few of them are 
women. I call to mind one who is of immediate 
French, English, and Hawaiian descent. The char- 
acteristics of the three races are very marked in her. 
Strange vicissitudes have crowded themselves into 
her life. Born on the Atlantic; reared and edu- 
cated in England ; connected with well-known fam- 
ilies, both in that country and France; a resident 
of this coast for forty years; several times the pos- 
sessor of great wealth, and as many times the 
subject of absolute want, she has yet, under all 
circumstances, been a woman of influence, and of 
great charity, bestowed often upon the most lowly. 
She speaks Spanish, Hawaiian, English, and some 
French. There are enough interesting facts con- 
nected with her history to fill volumes. 

Peter Raman met us at the rude gate in front 
of his home, opened it politely, and inquired: "Are 
you tired, ladies?" 

Mrs. H — , who had made several visits to the 
place, and knew the man quite well, replied : " It 
costs your friends something to visit yourself and 
your flowers, Mr. Ramau." 



122 'CALIFORNIA. 

"Yes; and I'm so much obliged to them for 
coming. Rest a little on the porch, and then I '11 
show you what Madame Nature can do at flower 
making." 

The man has a large round head, is broad- 
chested, and of medium height. His eyes sparkle 
with pleasure when he smiles, but flash like flames 
when he is angry, or some unwelcome thought of 
the past flits through his mind. His brain seems 
to be crowded with strange conceits and fancies. A 
reference to the beauty of his flowers is sure to 
cause these odd notions to spring into the queerest 
unions, like the bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. 
His manner is kindly and his disposition humane. 
Religiously he is a ship with anchor' gone. He 
loves birds, dogs, and flowers passionately. His 
wife is dead. Two grown sons constitute the human 
part of his family. 

In front and to the right of his rambling and 
desolate adobe house lies his flower garden, a par- 
allelogram containing two acres or less. No other 
florist on earth ever arranged a garden spot like 
that. It is disarranged like the owner's brain, and 
strange to say, the disorder in both is one of their 
chief attractions. Will the reader try to imagine a 
small patch of anemones, beautiful beyond the 
power of pen to describe, springing out of a larger 
plat of verbenas, dense, gay with bloom ? Then 
think of more anemones waving on the top of their 



A SINGULAR CHARACTER. 123 

long, slender stems, among thorny rose hushes and 
■woody heliotrope ; and of more still, erowded hy 
azure forget-me-nots and French pinks of every 
hue. See tulips as large as tea-cups, single, double, 
mottled, striped, ringed, and bordered, with a dozen 
glorious colors, trying to get the upper hand of fra- 
grant thyme and rank geraniums. Here, they are 
reaching out for sunlight from under small orange 
trees; there, from amid bushy fuchsias. 

Bending over a cluster of anemones, simply 
matchless for the delicacy, variety, and brilliancy 
of their colors, Mr. Ramau clasped a dozen of the 
perfect cups with both hands, and looking up in 
my face, said, solemnly: 

"Do you know, madam, I see God in these. I 
can 't see him in the Bible. If God were to tell 
me, this day, that in a year I must die, do you 
know what I would do?" — tears glistened in the 
man's eyes — " I would go to work and collect every 
variety of anemone under heaven, and get them to 
blooming in my ground. Then I 'd watch them and 
admire them down to the last hour. Ah! madam, 
the anemone is God's flower. Only look ! Where 
can you find such a sight?" 

I did look, and could myself have cried over the 
flowers. They seemed almost human, almost able 
to think and love. There swayed to-and-fro splen- 
did cups of scarlet, crimson, maroon, deep red, rich 
orange, soft pink, and di-licate straw-color, cups of 



124 CALIFORNIA. 

blue, cups of purple and yellow, in shades magnifi- 
cent. Some were single, others were double. As 
in the case of the tulips, the man had taxed his 
skill to the uttermost to produce these marvelous 
tints. 

"Are you aware, madam," he continued, " that 
it is the multitude and variety of anemones in the 
gardens of Francis Joseph, of Austria, that make 
them so famous? My! madam, it is heaven to 
walk there. There you can see beds four hundred 
feet long, containing ever variety of wind-flower in 
the world, and all collected for the enjoyment of 
the people." 

We remarked : " It is a pity you can not see 
God in the Bible, since he there speaks more to the 
purpose on some points than in flowers." 

" Never mind ; I see him in these gems of his. 
But now mark what man can do. Of anemones 
and tulips God made just one variety. Man, taking 
that beginning, has, by his skill, multiplied the 
varieties until now they are endless, and so beauti- 
ful! Madam, that's man. And God doesn't even 
make them grow. Man does that. I tell you, 
there 's a deal of God in man." 

" Man is evidently your God," we replied. " Can 
you make a plant drink, draw sustenance from the 
soil, extract oxygen from the air, or appropriate 
sunlight?" Just then two ladies entered the 
grounds, and he turned to meet them. 



A SINGULAR CHARACTER. 125 

During our stay we liatl observed numerous dogs 
lying under the trees, and {)laying iibout the house, 
and on his return we inquired if he owned them. 

"Yes; they are my family. Let me call them 
together, that you may see them. I have seventeen 
in all." 

He was then patting the heads of two that were 
impatiently pulling at his garments, just as I have 
seen peevish children tug at a mother's clothing. 
Now he began calling, whistling, shouting, for his 
family. "Lucy! Lucy! Here, Hongkong! here, 
brave fellow! Hongkong, madam, is u Chinese 
dog. Pat ! here Pat ! Pat is from green Erin, 
ladies, and does n't like the English." 

Thus the man invited and coaxed until six or 
eight remarkable specimens of the canine race were 
wildly racing around him, leaping upon his person, 
or licking his hands, and all apparently anxious to 
know why they had been called together. 

"Now, would you like to hear them sing? Shall 
I show you that some dogs know more than some 
men?" 

"If dogs can do any thing more human than to 
bark and bite, we should be interested in seeing 
them do it," we answered. 

Thereupon, his eyes lighting up, he began to 
hum a lively tune. Instantly the animals broke 
into canine bass, tenor, alto, soprano, and all kept 
time with their leader. When the time quickened, 



126 CALIFORNIA. 

they leaped upon him, sprang into the air, whined, 
barked, howled. Every dog was in a perfect frenzy, 
and we were in bedlam. Hongkong, a splendid 
greyhound, turned his back toM^ard his master, 
stretched his long nose out toward the sky, and 
struck into a woeful, piercing cry, followed by a 
low, melancholy wail. The creature's heart seemed 
broken. He was telling his grief to the invisible 
stars. His whole aspect betokened the deepest sor- 
row. The scene and the noise beggared description. 
I doubt if any tiling like it could be witnessed 
outside of Southern California, where scenes and 
objects unequaled are the rule rather than the ex- 
ception. 

We endured the horrible din five minutes, perhaps 
ten, and then entreated the strange man to bring 
that most unique of all vocal concerts to a close. 
But the dogs were proud of their accomplishments, 
and were far less ready to end the performance than 
to begin it. By degrees, however, quiet was restored. 

Then said the Hungarian: "Ladies, until re- 
cently I have kept two hundred mocking-birds. 
The food of the happy songsters cost me ten dollars 
every week. At last I concluded that was an ex- 
pensive amusement for a poor man. So one day I 
opened the cages and gave the sweet singers their 
freedom. You see a few cages still, with here and 
there a captive, but the family numbers only fifteen 
now. I love nature, and could n't live a day with- 



A SINGULAR CHARACTER. 127 

out these dog;s, and bird?, and anemones. Like that 
lovely woin:in " — meaning Mrs. H— , whose snowy 
hair, pleasant eyes, and fair complexion attract notice 
wherever she goes — " they show me how God loves 
beautiful things, 

"Madame, I never go to bed at night without 
taking a long, loving look at the stars ; nor rise in 
the morning without indulging in a tender chat with 
the beauties in my garden. I tell you, if I but 
had money to buy a telescope, I 'd spend the nights 
in taking flights among the stars, and during the 
day I 'd grow toward heaven among ray flowers. 

"Where was I born? In Vodena, Hungary, a 
land which General Fremont declares is the ^most 
beautiful under the sun,' and he has seen it. For 
several years I was an officer in the Austrian army. 
In 1850 I fled to this country. I married in Iowa. 
My wife died in 1869, leaving me two good sons. 
Louie lives here with me. My real name you must 
not know. The Austrian Government has searched 
for me all over these United States." 

It was drawing towards sunset, and other parties 
arriving, Mrs. H — and myself strolled for a mo- 
ment through the trim orange orchard in the rear of 
the house. The handsome trees were laden with 
fragrant blossoms and ripe fruit. Returning, we 
bade the father good-bye and walked away, won- 
dering if there were on the earth another mortal 
like him. 



XVIII. 

"She r^AiPIVE ^ALIPOI^NIANS." 



IN his book entitled "Three Years in California," 
the Rev. Walter Colton talks much about the 
** native Californians," and in terms which leave 
most I'eaders in doubt whether he means the Span- 
iards who centuries ago invaded California, or the 
Indian races whom the Spaniards found here. The 
latter are grouped by Mr. Hubert H. Bancroft 
under three divisions, called, "The Northern, Cen- 
tral, and Southern Californians." These, then, were 
the native Californians at the time of the Spanish 
invasion, but not the native Californians of Mr. 
Colton's book. Fully two centuries before the ac- 
quirement of California by the United States, the 
Spaniards had spread over Central America, Mex- 
ico, and California — then a part of Mexico. They 
not only subdued the Indian tribes or nations 
inhabiting these countries, but married, traded, and 
lived among them, and had possession of their soil. 
Thus, as the years passed on and on, there sprang 
up a nation in whose veins flowed a mixture of 
Spanish and Indian blood, and whicli spoke the 
128 



" THE NA TI VE CA LTFORNIANS." 129 

Spanish language, corrupted, in many instances, by 
words and phrases from the vocabularies of the 
vanquished peoples. 

Also, after Mexico threw off the Spanish yoke- 
some years prior to the obtaining of California by 
our government — considerable colonies from that 
country settled on this part of the coast. They, 
likewise, were of Spanish and native origin, and 
spoke the Spanish tongue. From these two sources, 
then, came the "native Californians" with whom 
we mingle to-day, and of Mr. Colton's acquaintance 
from 1846 to 1849. In other words: Before they 
became Americans, by our acquiring their territory, 
they were Mexicans, and by that term are they 
very generally designated here to-day. Tourists 
and others often refer to them as Castilians, using 
the " pure Castilian tongue." But the fact is, few, 
if any of them, ever saw Spain. Much less were 
they born in Castile. However, some of them are 
of full Spanish blood, and are intelligent and meri- 
torious citizens. Proverbial for politeness and 
generosity, often too confiding for their own inter- 
ests, and always ready to serve a friend to the 
uttermost, they of course soon win the high esteem 
of the English-speaking Americans. Almost with- 
out exception they are members of the Catholic 

Church. 

On the contrary, the lower orders of Mexicans 
are exceedingly illiterate, but their condition in this 



130 CALIFORNIA. 

respect is said to be due not so much to incapacity 
as to neglect. " It must be remembered," says an 
educated missionary who has for years labored among 
them, "that their religion is the Roman Catholic, 
mingled still, in too many cases, with traces of the 
ancient worship of the original tribes. Owing to 
the disposition of the Romish Church to temporize 
with its Indian converts, as it did with the heathen 
nations brought into its fold in Constantine's day, 
they were allowed to retain certain of their old 
observances. From that day to this the Catholic 
Church has been their teacher, and, as might be 
expected, the lower Mexican element of our popu- 
lation to-day, is, in a religious sense, elevated not 
far above its Indian ancestors prior to the Spanish 
conquest." 

It should be remembered that those who do 
break away from the Catholic Church, among this 
class of Californians, seem to take most cordially to 
the denominations whose . forms of worship differ 
most from the showy services of the system under 
which they have grown up. Many of them enter 
the Presbyterian fold, where they find neither im- 
ages, crucifixes, lighted candles, holy fire, holy water, 
the confessional, nor vestments for the ministry. 

"I can not express to you," said an intelligent 
Mexican, who had been reared in the Romish 
Church, but who is now a Protestant, "how dis- 
tasteful to me, for years, was the sight of a clergy- 



"THE NATIVE CALIFORNIANS." 131 

man in robes. And usually, according to my 
observation, when a Catholic becomes dissatisfied 
with that system, he flees to the one farthest removed 
from it, or to none at all." 

At three points in Los Angeles County Mexican 
Presbyterian churches have been established, the 
stronger organization being in this city. No Sun- 
day-schools are conducted as yet, but day schools 
are in progress at Anaheim and in Los Angeles. 

There are now few Mexican families living in 
affluence in Southern California. Formerly many 
were rich in lands and herds, but upon the accession 
of the territory, understanding neither our language 
nor our laws, they were soon involved in endless 
litigations with rapacious fortune-hunters from "the 
States," who had managed, by one means or another, 
to secure claims upon their property. Often in 
these cases the decisions of the Federal courts were 
adverse to the Mexicans, how, or why, the latter could 
not tell, and in an incredibly short time numbers 
found themselves face to face with poverty. Unac- 
customed to work, few were able to retrieve their 
condition, and in their straits actually borrowed 
money of the robbers at a ruinous interest, and 
mortgaged, to secure its payment, whatever prop- 
erty they had left. Of course this step hastened the 
end. Finally, realizing that they were no match 
for the new proprietors of the soil, many became 
disheartened, " gave themselves up to melancholy," 



132 CALIFORNIA. 

and erelong moved into narrow homes on which 
there were no mortgages. 

" When I first came here, eleven years ago," 
said a lady this morning, "there were Mexicans 
everywhere. They lounged on door-steps, within 
the presidios of their homes, in front of the shops 
and stores, and along the country roads. Appar- 
ently without a care, they laughed, chatted, and 
danced. Now, I meet a few on the streets as I go 
about the city, but their number seems greatly 
diminished. Doubtless some of them have caught 
the spirit of thrift and enterprise possessed by our 
people, and have adopted habits of industry ; but 
my opinion is that the race is giving way before 
the Americans, whose force and tenacity of life are 
so much greater." 

The Mexican women are objects of great inter- 
est to me. On the street the middle-aged woman 
appears almost invariably in a dress of black, desti- 
tute of trimmings. The skirt is made of straight 
breadths, minus any thing like drapery. Upon her 
head, framing in her swarthy face, she wears, 
usually, a plain black shawl folded cornerwise, and 
held together under her chin by her ungloved hand. 
She never carries parasol or umbrella, even though 
the Summer sun, holding the mercury up to 100° 
in the shade, beats down upon her head, cooking 
her ideas and wrinkling her skin. There she goes! 
hair, eyes, shawl, dress, the color of night; in her 



" THE yA TI I 'E C. 1 /- IFORNTA NS." 1 33 

face no brit^htness; a silent figure, destined to be 
left bebind by ;i people wbose skill, and power, and 
range of knowledge simply bewilder her. 

Many of the younger women strongly resemble 
each other, with their black hair, dark eyes, south- 
ern complexion, medium height, slender figure, and 
cheerful, animated countenance. They dress in 
colors and with taste, and walk with an elastic step. 
But, a few years hence, should they follow in the 
course of their mothers, their forms will lose their 
compactness and shapeliness. Their carriage will 
become slow and heavy. American gentlemen fre- 
quently marry daughters of the better families, and 
our young women occasionally take husbands from 
amoup- the educated Mexicans. So far as I have 
been able to learn, these unions prove quite as happy 
as if formed with persons of the same race. Hav- 
ing occasion the other day to call at the city home 
of Don Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of 
California, I found there a niece of that courtly 
gentleman, from Santa Barbara. She was a lady- 
like, beautiful-looking little woman, who spoke 
English nicely, having enjoyed the benefit of the 
American schools in that city. Some time before 
she had married a young Mr. Perkins, from the 
East, with whom she seemed to be much pleased, 
and I could see no reason why he should not be 
pleased with her. 

On another occasion, when taking a walk in the 
12 



134 CALIFORNIA. 

outskirts of the city, after a hard clay's work, I came 
upon one of the early rural homes of Los Angeles. 
The house stood far back from the street, in the 
midst of an orange-grove, and was a many-roomed 
adobe, built out this way and that, with a wide 
veranda running around most of it, and all the 



A Rural Home in Southern California. 

apartments opening upon that. It was the famous 
Wolfskin residence. William Wolfskill was a Ken- 
tuckian, I believe, who wandered off to this coast 
and "built this house over fifty years ago." He 
has gone to his rest, but the place is occupied by a 
son, whose wife is a beautiful Spanish woman. En- 
tering the open gateway, and following the drive 



" THE NATIVE CALIFORNfANS." 135 

to the house, I found Mrs. Wolfskill seated on 
the veranda, surrounded by a half-dozen children, 
all evidently of Spanish descent, all busy doing 
something, and apparently having a good time. 
Rising as I drew near, she greeted me kindly, using 
excellent English. I have seldom seen a more 
attractive woman. A wealth of dark hair was 
coiled loosely upon the top of her head. Her man- 
ners were charming, and I noticed that her toilet 
had been made without the use of cosmetics, a fea- 
ture of dress which seems to be very popular among 
the young women of the Spanish tongue. 

Upon my inquiring if the whole group of little 
ones were hers, she replied: "Ah, no! I wish they 
were. It is the sorrow of my life that I have not 
such a family of children. I love them, and find 
great pleasure in caring for them. The babe only 
is mine." After chatting a little time, and the 
evening shadows beginning to fall, I bade her good- 
night, having enjoyed the call. Afterward I learned 
that the lady represents the best class of Spanish- 
speaking people on the coast. For that reason I 
mention the trifling incident of my call. 



XIX. 
Schools op Uos fiNGELEs. 



FOR twelve years Los Angeles has supported an 
excellent system of public schools. Although 
the city covers a large area, school-houses are conven- 
iently located in every part. Many of the build- 
ings are new, thoroughly equipped for their purpose, 
and are attractive externally. And it is doubtful 
if in any city of its size there can be found a body 
of teachers better qualified. Indeed the city is 
reputed for the high scholarship of the teachers in 
the graded schools. Moreover, the State itself de- 
mands unusual accomplishments in the candidates 
for certificates. It has been said that eastern teach- 
ers of experience have sometimes failed to pass the 
examinations it requires. A principal in one of the 
schools has just stated that applicants for certificates 
must pass an examination in a number of branches 
not demanded in other States. They must be familiar 
with the school laws of California, and have an intel- 
ligent acquaintance with the State Constitution. 
136 



ST A TE NORMA L SCHO OL, 1 .1 7 

A branch of the State Normal School is making 
fine headway here under Professor Ira More as 
principal. Accom[)anied hy this gentleman and 
Mrs. More, on a recent Wednesday, the writer took 
a look through the great Normal School building, 
and paid some attention to the methods of instruc- 
tion. It may truthfully be said that, from basement 
to roof, the structure is one of the best lighted, 
best ventilated, and most economically arranged, I 
have ever seen for the purpose. It is a handsome 
edifice, built of brick, is three stories in height, has 
spacious halls, ample class-rooms, and enough of 
them, a sunny office for the principal, a bright par- 
lor for the preceptress, an inviting library on the first 
floor, partially filled with helpful books, and a well- 
equipped laboratory in the basement. In this latter 
room the professor of chemistry, Miss Sarah P. 
Plonks, an alumnus of Vassar College, becomes a 
]\Iichael Faraday every afternoon to a class of 
shrewd, inquiring young men and women. In the 
cheerful chapel, commanding a broad outlook west- 
ward, down the rich Cahuenga Valley, I found 
assembled for the simple religious exercises of the 
morning, nearly two hundred pupils in training 
for the teacher's profession. -They were an earnest, 
sensihle-lookiug company of students, evidently not 
at school for play, and represented a half-dozen 
nationalities, I should judge. Their free and fre- 
quent questions upon the subjects under study in 



138 CALIFORNIA. 

the class-rooms, afterward, showed they were work- 
ing for a purpose. 

The Normal-school building crowns a command- 
ing eminence between Bunker Hill Avenue and 
Charity Street, and has the distinction of being the 
only school of its class in the United States, which 
is located in the midst of an orange grove. The 
art of the landscape gardener is now converting 
the formerly rough hill-side in front of it, into a 
picture wherein mingle flowers, trees, terraces, a. 
fountain, and graveled drives. Glancing in any di- 
rection from the windows of the building, or from 
its high tower, the views of the country are in- 
spiring. In the east loom up the stately Sierra 
Madre Mountains. On the west and north-west 
rise the Santa Monica and San Fernando chains, 
their sides chiseled with the storms of centuries, 
while towards the south stretches the verdant 
Los Angeles valley, bordered, twenty miles away, 
by a strip of the sea. All around lives the city, 
busy, taking on greater vigor every day. How 
could intelligent young men and women be other- 
wise than in earnest, while fitting themselves for 
life's work, amid such scenes? 

Westward, a distance of three miles, or less, 
stands the '• University of Southern California," 
founded by the Methodists in 1878. Its curricu- 
lum is open to both sexes. The institution is a 
thriving one, occupies a fine building, and holds the 



ELLTS VFLLA COLLEOE. 139 

title to considerable real estate. It has the confi- 
dence of the community, and looks forward to suc- 
cess. An important department of this University, 
is the Chaifey College of Horticulture, located at 
Ontario, the model colony of Southern California. 

Now turn your eye toward that lovely eleva- 
tion lying to the north-west of the Normal School, 
and possibly a mile distant. The handsome struc- 
ture you see, built in the composite style, so much 
in favor just now, is Ellis Villa College, a school 
for young ladies, built and opened in 1884 by Rev. 
John Ellis, then pastor of the First Presbyterian 
Church of Los Angeles, but now the president of 
the college. The building overlooks scenery as 
varied as that seen from the Normal School. The 
grounds are charmingly improved. Every young 
woman privileged to pursue her course of study 
in the presence of so much that is noble and beau- 
tiful in nature, ought to form a character as attract- 
ive as the scenes she looks upon. 

About the time the Ellis Villa School opened 
its doors, there was established at Hermosa Vista 
Hill, a delightful eminence lying between the city of 
Los Angeles and the village of Pasadena, the" Eden 
of Southern California," a college for young men, also 
under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church, but 
not intended to be sectarian. Dr. Ellis was one of 
the prime movers in the enterprise. When pro- 
jected, both these schools were by many thought to 



140 CALIFORNIA. 

be far in advance of the necessities in the line of edu- 
cation, because in advance of the population neces- 
sary to sustain them. But the cautious ones could 
not foresee, that in the short space of three years 
the metropolis of Southern California would double 
the number of its inhabitants, and that the in- 
crease of population in the county would preserve 
a fair proportion to that of the city, thus creating 
a demand for institutions of this class. On their 
arrival here, now, settlers find well planted and 
at work, every grade of school, from the kinder- 
garten to the university. 

The College of Hermosa Vista Hill is as favored 
as those I have described for scenic surroundings, 
being seated almost under the shadows of the Sierra 
Mad re, with the fair San Gabriel valley spread out 
on one side. Here, surely, young men may pre- 
pare to live for their country, if not to die for it. 

I learn this morning that the Baptists and 
Episcopalians are soon to appear on the field, bid- 
ding for their share of patronage for schools of a 
high order. Thus about all the ground will be 
occupied, and the children of all denominations may 
hurry forward. Teachers, books, and desks will be 
ready for them. 

Now if the reader is not' weary, we will retrace 
our steps to the fine, sloping ground in the rear of 
the Normal School. Here, built into the hill-side, 
and half hidden by the orange trees, we shall find 



THE MA GNETIC OBSER VA TO 11 Y. 1 -i 1 

an institution of an entirely differonf, hut most 
interesting character. This is an "observatory for 
determining the direction, variation, and force of 
the magnetic current." It is the only observatory 
of the kind in the United States, and the best one 
in the world. There are in this country several 
otiier stations where partial or occasional ob.^crva- 
tions of the magnetic current are made. But here 
the record is ceaseless. The work of the needles 
stops night nor day, for holy day nor holiday. 
Here is one kind of perpetual motion. The officer 
whom the government appoints to duty in this 
dark, double-walled mite of a structure, is little 
better than buried. Unless he has an assistant, 
competent and faithful, he has no hours oiF. The 
magnetic current knows no Sunday. It furnishes a 
man no tent on the sea-shore for a three weeks' 
vacation in Summer. 

The officer now in charge of this observatory is 
Charles C. Terry, Jr., of Columbus, Georgia, and 
is a relative — cousin, if I am correct — of General 
Terry, of Fort Fisher fame. The reader remem- 
bers that General Terry distinguished hin>self by 
carrying that stronghold by assault, after General 
B. F. Butler, co-operating with Admiral Porter, in 
an unsuccessful attempt to capture the fort, declared 
it could not be taken. Charles Terry is a young 
man, thirty years of age, perhaps, and though veiy 

coui'teous and obliging, seldom admits a visitor in- 
13 



142 CALIFORNIA. 

side Ills castlo, es|)eci!illy if lie lacks the intelligence 
to comprehend its pniposc nnd machinery. The 
writer was fortnnate in having a " friend at court," 
and got in. 

After our glance at the teaching of all sorts 
of sciences at the Normal School, Mrs. More 
and myself concluded we should like to see the 
inside of a building so rare as is this observatory, 
and to learn how the changes made by that myste- 
rious force, magnetism, are recorded. Professor 
More, therefore, accompanied us down the narrow 
board walk leading to the little hut in the ground, 
and as we approached the door, said : 

" Ladies, you 'd better wait outside until I see 
if you can be admitted." Then, with a firm, steady 
push, he turned the solid outer door on its hinges, 
and with a slow and cautious step, lest he should 
jar the magnetic needles, so faithfully at work in 
their dark dungeon, entered the narrow passage 
separating the inner from the outer wall, and 
disappeared. Meanwhile, we who were in waiting, 
speculated as to the things within, and questioned 
if it were possible to tread lightly enough not to 
cause the delicate instruments to break the ninth 
commandment. In a short time our friend emerged, 
saying : 

"Mr. Terry is busy performing a difficult piece 
of work, which must not be laid aside. But he says 
that if you will call again in a half-hour you will 



THE MAGNETIC OBSERVATORY. 143 

be vvelconio, and lie will take pleasure in explaining 
to you how man, by his wonderful inventions, has 
compelled the magnetic current to disclose some of 
the laws by which it is governed." 

We all returned to the school building, where 
Mrs. IVIore and myself ]>assed the half-hour list- 
ening to a specimen of able teaching of grammar. 
Then returning to the observatory, we pushed open 
the massive door, closed it softly behind us, groped 
our way along the dark hall until we came to a 
door made partly of glass, and through which fell a 
faint light. Upon our rapping gently, it was in- 
stantly opened by Mr. Terry, in shirt-sleeves and 
long apron, the latter made of striped ticking, and 
covering him from the neck down. 

Greeting us kindly, he immediately defined the 
Mork of the observatory to be: ''The photographing 
on paper, and afterwards making them permanent 
by chemical processes, the direction, changes, dip, 
and inclination of the magnetic current." 

He then spent some moments explaining the use 
of certain appliances of his work-room, as a sort of 
introduction to our next lesson. Then asking us 
to resign our steel-ribbed umbrellas to the care of 
his chemicals, and charging us to step lightly, he 
led the way to a small, double-walled, windowless 
inner room, the walls of which were black with 
smoke from burning lamps. Admitting us first, he 
followed and carefully closed the door. Here, each 



144 CALIFORNIA. 

under a small glass dome covered with black cloth, 
were three magnetic needles, suspended by delicate 
cords. One of them indicating the vertical force, 
another the horizontal force, and the third the dip 
and inclination of the current of terrestrial magnet- 
ism. These needles are seldom, if ever, absolutely 
at rest. Their movements are photographed by light 
obtained from three coal-oil lamps, kept always 
burning. The light is focalized by small mirrors, 
upon strips of white paper, placed in an upright 
cylinder, itself incased in dark cloth. Mr. Terry 
explained, in a clear and interesting way, the man- 
ner in which all this work is done. But I forbear 
attempting the task here, lest the words I should 
use might shock those nicely hung needles into 
recording a great deviation of the magnetic current. 
Should the reader ever visit Los Angeles let him 
pay a visit to the Normal School, where Professor 
More will make him welcome, and then walk down 
to the observatory and take a look at it. There is 
little hope of his getting inside, but it is a satisfac- 
tion to say one has seen the place. 

However, should you gain admission into that 
strange inner room, you will probably be required 
to leave behind you, not your umbrellas only, but 
your gold rings, watches, the metallic buttons on 
your clothing, and, if you are a woman, your hoop- 
skirts and corsets, if they have steels in them. All 
these things will so attract the magnets towards you 



THE MAGNETIC OBSERVATORY. 145 

as to make them fail in their duty to the govern- 
ment. To some extent Mrs. More and mvself 
were so appareled, but Mr. Terry politely said that, 
instead of asking us to lay the articles aside, he 
would, in his report for that day, state the cause of 
the aberration of the magnets, that the blame might 
not be charged to the magnetic current. 

Upon my return to Los Angeles last October, 
after an absence of two years on the northern part 
of the coast, I learned that Mr. Terry, failing in 
health, contemplated resigning his position. His 
misfortune was thought by his friends to be due to 
two causes — close confinement in the observatory, 
and excessive smoking. To smoke, therefore, is 
one thing which the magnetic force allows a man 
to do. None the less, he makes a mistake who does 
it. They said Mr. Terry "smoked for company." 
If there is a place in the world where the practice 
would be justified on that ground, that little hut in 
the hill-side is the one. It is with sincere regret 
that I add : Since leaving the coast, word has reached 
me to the eflPect that Mr. Terry has ceased to be the 
medium through which the magnetic current tells 
its mute story to the world from Los Angeles. 
Death asked him to resign. He obeyed. 



XX. 



FOR some years preceding, as well as subsequent 
to, the accession of California, there figured on 
the Pacific Coast many remarkable characters. 
Among them, besides native Californians, were 
Americans from every quarter of the Union, and 
also representatives of every nation on the globe. 
Some of them were brave, upright men, loyal as 
friends, generous to a fault, incapable of an unmanly 
deed. Others were unprincipled, mercenary, and 
placed a low value upon human life. To commit 
crime seemed as natural to them as to breathe. Of 
these some sprang from an ignoble ancestry. In 
others the bad blood seemed to start with them- 
selves; but ill-doing distinguished them all. So- 
ciety lived in terror of them, and slept peacefully 
only when the earth was rounded above their 
graves. But one by one both classes have left the 
stage, until to-day a survivor is met only here and 
there. Of one of these survivors, ranking in the 
first category, I have occasion to speak in this 
chapter. 

Colonel J. J. Warner, now an active octogena- 
rian, has resided in this part of the Golden State 
146 



A NOBLE PIONEER. 117 

for fifty-six years. These years embrace the most 
interesting and most exciting period in the modern 
history of California. In the stirring scenes attend- 
ing the transfer of the Territory to the United 
States, as in the more tnrbulent and rancorous ones 
of the late Civil War, when wide difference of opin- 
ion as to the right of the government to coerce the 
slaveholding States divided the citizens of the coast, 
Colonel Warner was no inconsiderable figure. Fear- 
less, resolute, absolutely loyal to the government, 
he stood a steadfast advocate of the Union, when 
the fiery adherents of secession, by whom the State 
was thronged, were determined to carry California 
for the Confederacy. Colonel Warner lived long 
also in the midst of treacherous Indian tribes, 
where a moment's hesitation, in exigent cases, would 
have proved fatal to his own and others' priceless 
interests. More than once his prompt action in 
great danger saved human lives and property. 

Thus for many years following his settlement 
in Los Angeles were the circumstances of his 
life such as to bring out the strong traits in his 
character. 

Such men, living in such times, usually make 
bitter enemies; but of this venerable pioneer, not 
one of the surviving zealous partisans of to-day 
speaks in other than terms of friendship and respect. 
Not a tongue is barbed with enmity. And if gen- 
eral testimony be accepted, none have won greater 



148 CALIFORNIA. 

respect for their opinions, or higher appreciation of 
their worth, than has the subject of this sketch, the 
first president of the California Historical Society. 

Colonel Warner is a native of Lyme, Connecti- 
cut, in which place he was born in the year 1S07. 
His ancestors were early settlers in that part of the 
State, and were persons of influence. His maternal 
grandfather, Samuel Selden, was a colonel in "Wash- 
ington's army when the colonial force evacuated 
New York, Colonel Warner is himself a favorite 
uncle of the wife of Chief-Justice Waite. He is a 
cousin of the wife of the eminent Judge Ranney, 
of Cleveland, Ohio. Other of his relatives scattered 
over the Buckeye State are quite numerous. Among 
them is Vice-Prcbideut C. C. Waite, of the Cincinnati, 
Hamilton and Dayton Railway. Probably a half- 
century has passed since one of these friends has 
grasped the hand of -the esteemed pioneer. 

In October, 1830, Mr. Warner, being then twenty- 
three years of age, and of frail constitution, left 
Connecticut to seek health and fortune in the "far 
West." Arriving in St. Louis early in December, 
he there made the acquaintance of Jedediah S. 
Smith, a famous member of the Rocky Mountain 
Fur Company. The noted trapper had just come 
into the bustling village from the North-west, with 
an invoice of furs. He was accompanied by his 
partners, Jackson and the Soublette brothers. 
Young Warner's imagination was excited by 



A NOBLE PIONEER. 1-19 

their Ptivring accounts of trapper life, and he con- 
chided that rough fare and mountain air were just 
the things required to render him strong and 
vigorous. So, seeking an interview with the in- 
trepid Smith, he conferred with him in reference 
to spending a limited time at his camps in the dis- 
tant mountains. The hardy trapper discouraged 
the step, and the tall New England youth had to 
content himself with spending the Winter in the 
"metropolis of Missouri." However, when the 
Spring opened, Mr. Smith, who also had remained 
in St. Louis, offered him a position in an expedi- 
tion he was organizing to convey a quantity of 
merchandise to Santa Fe, and once there, Mr. 
Warner might choose between remaining in the 
capital of New Mexico and returning East for a 
fresh stock of goods. Smith himself headed the 
enterprise, but not long after reaching Santa Ee be 
met his death at the hands of Indians on the Sem- 
eron River. This blow broke up the operations of 
his firm in New Mexico. Mr. Jackson wound up 
their affairs, and in company with his young friend 
Warner started on the perilous overland journey to 
Southern California, crossing the great desert of which 
considerable has already been said in this volume, 
and arrived in Los Angeles in November, 1831. 

A. few months subsequently Mr. Warner, desir- 
ous of seeing something of the vast North-west, 
joined a hunting party bound to the San Joaquin 



150 CALIFORNIA. 

Kiver and its tributaries, to the Sacramento and its 
branches, and thence northward to the mouth of the 
Umpqna River in Oregon, and from that point east- 
ward to the Klamath Lake region. In this then 
long and perilous trip, the young man accomplished 
his earnest desire to take life roughly for awhile. 
The adventures of the party were numerous, and 
some of them trying, if not exciting. For the fa- 
tigue and hardship he cared little, if he might but 
take his share in the risks and perils, and in the end 
turn out a Hercules in strength. And this he did, 
if the stories now told of his subsequent almost 
incredible feats of horsemanship, and of his ability 
to cope with a score of armed assailants, be true. 

In those early days, trapping beaver in the great 
mountain ranges of the West was an exciting pur- 
suit. Young men eager to engage in it were never 
lacking. All California was traversed by parties 
of bold hunters, who, upon carrying their furs to 
market in the East, set afloat marvelous accounts of 
the fair land. Twenty years later there were resid- 
ing in Oregon, Washington, and California, num- 
bers of men, of distinguished endowments, who had 
served an apprenticeship in trapping; men who had 
been attached to the hazardous business, fascinated 
by the wild, independent life they led. But the 
country settling up, one after another, for various 
reasons, abandoned the mountains and took up his 
residence on the coast. Some turned their attention 



A NOBLE PIONEER. 151 

to civil ntVairs, and have rendered excellent service 
to the Pacific States. 

Returning to Los Angeles after an absence of 
fourteen months, Uv. Warner settled permanently 
in Southern California. He was now twenty-seven 




Corridor, San Luis Rey Hiasion. 



years of age. Three years later, 1837, he was 
united in marriage to a young lady who was the 
ward of Don Pio Pico, then administrator of the 
Mission of San Luis Rey, and afterward Mexican 



152 CALIFORNIA. 

governor of California. The mother of the young 
woman being dead, her father had placed her at 
school in this mission. When the marriage took 
place, Mr. Pico acted as godfather of the groom, 
in obedience to a requirement of the Catholic 
Church, I believe. Oat of this relation sprang an 
attachment between the two young men, which has 
known no change through fifty eventful years. Mr. 
Pico, of whom something is said further on in this 
volume, is now a resident of this city. He has seen 
upwards of eighty years, and is a person of striking 
appearance. 

Mr. and Mrs. Warner established their home in 
Los Angeles, where they resided for a considerable 
period, and here occurred one of the incidents which 
attest the man's courage, and exemplify his fidelity 
to his friends. 

During the Mexican regime in California, local 
rebellions were frequent on the coast. Factions out 
of power were ever plotting to unseat those in 
authority. The city of Los Angeles was sometimes 
the theater for this sort of pastime, and one morn- 
ing Mr. Warner found himself suddenly and inno- 
cently taking part in one of these emeutes. The 
conflict began and ended so quickly, however, that 
it seemed more like a whiff of air off a battle-field 
than like a genuine struggle. When it was passed 
the hero found himself the possessor of a broken 
arm and needing the help of a surgeon. 



.4 NOBLE PIONEER. 153 

Upon throwing open their dwellings early one 
sunny morning in April, I forget what year, the 
citizens of Los Angeles were surprised to see a 
company of armed soldiers encamped on their plaza, 
as a convenient point for operations in any direc- 
tion. The commander of the body was one Espin- 
osa, an adherent of the then reigning governor, 
Alvarado. The purpose of his silent and secret 
entrance into the city was the arrest of certain 
prominent men suspected of disaffection toward 
Alvarado, and of conspiring to reinstate in the 
gubernatorial chair one Corrillio, previously deposed 
from that office. Among the suspected persons were 
Don Pio Pico and his brother, Andrez Pico, subse- 
quently quite a notable character in the history of 
Southern California, and a search for these parties 
had already begun. 

Colonel and Mrs. Warner were seated at the 
breakfast table, in a cozy room at the rear of his" 
store, when an authoritative knock upon the front 
door caused the husband to spring to his feet. Upon 
opening the door there confronted him a number 
of Espinosa's men, who inquired if Don Pio Pico 
were there. They were courteously informed that 
he was not. Not satisfied, they proposed to search 
the premises, a privilege which was at once refused. 
This provoked an attempt to arrest the pritprictor, 
who stoutly resisted. A hand-to-hand contest 
ensued, and the parties were soon struggling in the 



154 CALIFORNIA. 

street, immediately below where the St. Charles and 
St. Elmo hotels now stand. At this juncture Es- 
pinosa himself appeared, coming out of Commercial 
Street, with his revolver drawn. Perceiving him. 
Colonel Warner realized his danger, and with great 
force breaking away from his assailants, made a 
dash upon that officer, and wrested the weapon 
from his hand. Soon after, having occasion to use 
his left arm, he found it would not obey his will. 
In the effort to quickly free himself from his 
captors, one of them, intending to disable him, had 
by an instantaneous blow broken the arm between 
the shoulder and elbow. 

At that moment Mr. William Wolfskill, one of 
the remarkable men of the place, and a staunch 
friend of Colonel Warner, appeared in the doorway 
of his own business house, and comprehending the 
status of affairs in the street, advanced toward the 
crowd, himself well armed. Seeing him and divin- 
ing his intent, the wounded man cried out : 

" Do n't shoot ; I do n't want any man killed." 
These words had the effect to allay the heat of 
Espinosa and his company, who, after a short 
parley, released their captive. Meanwhile the Picos, 
early informed of the captain's errand, had made 
their escape. Some days later, however, they, with 
a half-dozen other prominent citizens, were arrested 
and conveyed to Santa Barbara " as prisoners of 
war!" Nearly fifty years have passed away since 



A NOBLE PIONEER. 



155 



tliat (lav, yet the victim of that rcncotiiitcr recalls 
the circumstances as clearly and as readily as if the 
event had happened only yesterday. 

In the year 1846, Colonel Warner secured from 




Sacristy, San. Luia Rey MiSdioxi. 

the Mexican government a valuable grant of land, 
embracing twenty-six thousand acres, or six square 
leagues. The tract adjoined the lands belonging to 
the San Luis Rey Mission, and also skirted the old 
through wagon-road from San Diego to Fort Yuma. 



156 CALIFORNIA. 

It lay some sixty miles east of the former place, and 
one hundred and twenty south-east of Los Angeles. 
Some time in 1844 Mr. Warner removed his family 
to this princely e.^tate. Thenceforth it was known 
as " Warner's Ranch," and bears that name to-day, 
though years have elapsed since the title thereto 
was vested in Colonel Warner. 

A distinguished Californian, writing upon inci- 
dents connected with those dangerous days iu this 
part of the State, says : 

" Colonel John J. Warner, a pioneer whose mag- 
nificent domain was the first reached by the immi- 
grant after crossing the Colorado desert, was always 
open-hearted and generous to the wayworn trav- 
eler, and nearly impoverished himself by his acts of 
charitable liberality. All honor to the benevolent 
old pioneer." 

Once in possession of these broad acres, the next 
step was the stocking them liberally with horses, 
cattle, and sheep. This Colonel Warner did, and 
shortly was reputed to be "immensely rich." But 
to-day, while comfort and plenty find lodgment at 
the honorable man's fireside, he is no longer a 
Croesus of the plains. In some of the many vicis- 
situdes wliicli have swept over this region, probably 
some of this wealth took wings and flew away. 
Much of it certainly was expended in charity. Not 
a little was stolen by marauding Indians, as the 
following occurrence shows: 



A NOBLE PIONEER. 157 

The ranchos of that period were kept munifi- 
cently supplied, not only with groceries and provis- 
ions for the entertainment of large companies of 
guests and frequent needy travelers, but also with a 
full and often expensive assortment of dry goods. 
This was especially the case at Colonel "Warner's 
frontier home. The man who could so liberally 
provide for strangers and friends practiced no par- 
simony in supplying the wants of Hs family. One 
is not surprised that the vast store of necessaries 
and luxuries always on hand at the Warner rancho 
should sooner or later excite the cupidity of preda- 
tory Indians, of whom a plenty were the colonel's 
neighbors. 

During the year 1851 he was repeatedly warned 
of a threatened attack from the Cowia tribe, num- 
bering several hundred, and living in villages not 
far from his estate. Hardly believing the reports, 
he, however, took the precaution to remove his wife 
and children to San Diego, starting them out in the 
night, under escort of one Captain Nye, a sea-faring 
friend of the family, who happened to be on a visit 
to the rancho. A little before sunrise the second 
morning after their departure, the colonel was 
awakened by the shouts of savages around the house. 
Having kept watch during the night, he had lain 
down toward day, taking care not to remove his 
shoes, and was at the moment in a sound slumber. 

On a table at the bedside lay several loaded 
14 



158 CALIFORNIA. 

pistols and a fowling-piece or two. At the rear door 
stood three saddle horses, tied, and ready for instant 
mounting. The arms and animals were provided 
for the escape of himself, his Mexican servant — at 
that moment being slain by the plunderers, in a 
corral a few rods away — and a mulatto boy, the 
servant of an army officer at San Diego. The latter 
was confined in the house, a helpless victim of rheu- 
matism. He had been sent out from the city to try 
the water of some notable hot springs on the rancho, 
and had come over to the house but the day before. 

Springing from the bed. Colonel Warner ran, 
unarmed, to the rear door of the house, and opened 
it, to ascertain if the horses were yet there. The 
marauders, about two hundred in number, greeted 
him with a shower of arrows, not one of which hit 
him, fortunately. 

Stepping quickly to the table, and securing one 
of the fowling-pieces, he returned to his guests, and 
found to his dismay that two of the horses had 
been removed, and that an Indian was in the act of 
loosing the third. The gun flashed, and the plun- 
derer lay on the ground dead. A second, attempting 
to take the animal, fell also. Then a third, making 
the effort, was mortally wounded. Thrown into a 
panic by these casualties, the band retreated tem- 
porarily to a shed near by, bearing the bodies of 
their fallen comrades. 

Resolved now to attempt an escape before the 



A NOBLE PIONEER. 159 

Cowias could rally, and also to save the young 
invalid in his caro, Colonel Warner quickly placed 
the boy on the horse, put his holster pistols in the 
saddle, his belt pistols on liis person, laid one fowl- 
ing-piece across the neck of the horse, and suspended 
another at the animal's side. Then mounting in 
front of the youth he dashed away, the foe. not 
intorfi'iing. On the estate, some miles distant, lay 
a village of friendly Indians, where were the head- 
quarters of his herdsmen. Thither rode the fugi- 
tives with all speed. Immediately thirty trusted 
Indians were charged with conveying the invalid 
to St. Isabel, for care and safety, and the herders 
were dispatched to bring in the stock. Then, ac- 
companied by a number of his own Indian depend- 
ents, Colonel Warner hastened back to his home. 
The Cowias, recovered from their fright, were hur- 
riedly removing from the premises the stock of 
merchandise, valued at about six thousand dollars. 
They now showed great hostility, terrifying the 
man's small escort into a prompt retreat. To op- 
pose the spoilers single-handed, was to meet certain 
death. The Colonel, therefore, wheeled, rode away 
and joined his family in San Diego. Upon their 
return they were attended by a considerable mili- 
tary escort, led by Major, afterwards General, Hein- 
zelman. This rancho, on the verge of the desert, 
was the home of the family for thirteen years, or 
until 1857, when Los Angeles once more became 



160 CALIFORNIA. 

their place of residence. The next year witnessed 
the death of Mrs. Warner. 

For Mr. Warner's bravery in saving the life of 
the colored youth at the risk of his own, he received 
the title of Colonel — from his friends only, I pre- 
sume. He was never in the army. 

In 1858 Colonel Warner entered journalistic 
life, as the publisher of the Southern California Vine- 
yard, a Democratic sheet, at first devoted to general 
news, but in time drifting into a strong political 
paper. But when the Democratic party of Cali- 
fornia took position in favor of secession, Colonel 
Warner adhered to the Union, notwithstanding 
strong party effort to control both him and his 
paper. As was to be expected, loyalty killed the 
journal, but failed to kill its editor. 

The Vineyard breathed its last in 1861. For five 
years thereafter Colonel Warner was the Southern 
California correspondent of the Alta California. 

Previous to becoming a knight of the pen, 
he served the public in several responsible civil 
positions. For the sessions of '51 and '52 he 
represented San Diego County in the Assembly of 
California; and Los Angeles County in the same 
bodv in 1860. He was once elected a judge in San 
Diego County, but being long absent in San Fran- 
cisco never qualified, and never served. 

A few years ago Colonel Warner wrote a series 
of articles on methods for confining the Los Angeles 



A NOBLE PIONEER. lf>l 

Rivor within its proper cluuinel in seasons of flood. 
These papers drew attention at the time for their 
apparent practicability. But with the deceptive 
stream flowing under ground half the time, and 
seldom troubling any body very much, his suggestions 
were not heeded. But the suffering and h)ss of life 
and property caused by its overflows last Winter, 
have led to the republication and serious considera- 
tion of these articles. 

In the spring of 1884 the aged pioneer com- 
pleted a lengthy paper on " The Causes of the Cold 
and Warm Ages in the Arctic Latitudes." His 
theory, if not correct, is interesting, and reads as 
follows : 

"At one time in the world's history the Conti- 
nents of North and South America were not as 
they now are, united by the Isthmus of Panama. 
All Central America then lay beneath the ocean. 
Behring's Strait, instead of being a narrow passage 
of water, was a broad sea, connecting the Pacific 
and Arctic Oceans. No warm Gulf Stream flowed 
northward along the eastern coast of North Amer- 
ica, and across the Atlantic to the British coast. 
But an equatorial warm stream of vast proportions 
flowed from the Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean, 
over submerged Central America, and on north- 
westwardly to the north-eastern coast of Asia, 
where, pouring through Behring's Strait into the 
Polar Ocean, it converted it into a vast thermal 



162 CALIFORNIA. 

sea, on whose shores flourished a tropical vegeta- 
tion. Ages passed away, and Beh ring's Strait be- 
came very nearly closed by volcanic upheaval, 
greatly restricting the flow of wuriu water into the 
Northern Ocean. Arctic temperature was the 
result in those high latitudes. Meanwhile Central 
America had appeared above the ocean, sending the 
equatorial warm current northward along the east- 
ern coast of North America, and forming the * Gulf 
Stream' of to-day." 

In the neighborhood of forty years ago this 
patriarch paid his first and, up to the present, only 
visit to his native State. His route was a devious 
one, taking him from Los Angeles to San Pedro, 
thence to Acapulco by water, and from there across 
Mexico to Vera Cruz, whence he went by sail to 
Mobile, and thence on to the land of steady habits. 
While in the East he delivered several addresses 
on California. In the city of Rochester, 1841, he 
discussed the question of a trans-continental railway, 
remarking: "Should I ever come East again, I shall 
come in a railway car." That discussion gives 
Colonel Warner, instead of Stephen H. Whitney, 
as has been claimed for him, the honor of being the 
first man to propose a thoroughfare of steel across 
the continent of America. 

A Los Angeles paper, speaking on this point 
this morning, says : " Mr. Whitney took up the 
suggestion and talking upon it, gained much eclat 



A NOBLE PIONEER. \ 63 

in tlie East for the boldness of the idea, while Col- 
onel Warner, returning to California, lost all credit 
for it. The honor should certainly be awarded to 
our esteemed fellow-eitizen. It seems to us," the 
sheet continues, " that the continental railway lines, 
even at this late day, should deem it an honor to 
transport, in the most luxurious Pullman car, the 
veneralHe gentleman, who, with jarofound foresight, 
nearly a half a century ago, first proposed a railway 
across the American continent." 

It may interest the reader to know that the 
great railways did, in June, after this sketch was 
written, convey Colonel Warner and the young 
lady — a grandchild — who attended him, twice across 
the continent. In an absence of several months in 
the East, the happy pioneer visited the home of 
Chief Justice Waite, in Washington ; was received 
with marked respect by President Arthur, and took 
a look through all the grand government buildings. 
Proceeding to New England, he renewed his ac- 
quaintance with the scenes and surviving friends of 
his youth, and, going or returning, passed some 
time, in a delightful way, among his relatives in 
and around Cleveland, Ohio; and, as he said to the 
writer after his return, " was ev^erywhere treated 
like a prince." 

Colonel Warner now resides with a married 
daughter on Main Street, in Los Angeles, in an 
old-time adobe home, with its only entrance at the 



164 CALIFORNIA. 

rear of the building. Unfortunately, since making 
his last eastern trip, he has almost wholly lost 
his sight. " I can not see you/' he said, meeting me 
on my return to Los Angeles, after an absence of 
two years, '^ but I remember your voice." His 
mental faculties, on the other hand, are perfectly 
preserved. He was that day serving as a delegate 
to a county political convention, held in the city. 
The man is over six feet in height, slender, quite 
erect. His white hair stands out from his head in 
all directions. As to the matters of his own life 
he is modest and reticent, though most of the facts 
given in this sketch were obtained from his own 
lips. He is a perfect encyclopedia of information 
on a host of subjects. He readily recalls the lead- 
ing events in the history of California for a half- 
century past, with their exact dates; and also the 
career of many of its prominent men. He is oblig- 
ing, at great cost to himself many times. I 
frequently had occasion, during my residence here, 
to call upon him for information on some subject. 
Every time he was the same patient, courteous, self- 
forgetting gentleman. 



XXL 

Colonization Schemes. 



IN no part of the United States, certainly, and, 
perhaps, nowhere in tlie worUl, has the subject 
of colonization received more earnest and more in- 
telligent consideration than has been given it in 
Southern California during the past six years. The 
most enterprising of men have devoted time, 
strength, ability, and fortunes to devising schemes 
for settling this part of the coast rapidly and well. 
There was, the moment the Southern Pacific Road 
was completed, and still is, ground for pushing and 
developing this sort of business. Lying on this 
coast, seven years ago, with a climate nowhere on 
earth surpassed, was a vast area of country almost 
literally without house or inhabitant. Of course 
I know there were villages here, and ranchos, with 
houses upon them, but that does not weaken the 
statement I have made. On account of the pro- 
ductiveness of the soil, this area was fitted to 
become the home of millions of people. Most of 
it couhl be given to the plow almost without cutting 
down a tree or removing a stone, but it was land 

asleep. During the past week I have ridden over 
15 165 



166 CALIFORMA. 

thousands of acres which the implements of hus- 
bandry liave never touched. Under its covering of 
thickly blooming flowers — white, pink, blue, purple, 
and yellow^, all tiny but beautiful things — are con- 
cealed possibilities of production, so great that I 
dare not express the fiicts in the case, lest the 
reader's incredulity shall break out in words I 
should not care to hear. 

To bring these acres under cultivation, and 
bring jiuman beings to the enjoyment of their pro- 
ducts and the benefits of the delightful climate, as 
well as to contribute to the resources of the coun- 
try, while increasing their individual fortunes, are 
the chief objects sought by the men engaged in 
the numerous colonization enterprises. 

The subject of colonization has at least two sides. 
It will readily be conceded that all the benefits of 
the scheme ought not to accrue to the families who 
settle on colony sites, finding ready to their liand, 
the nioment they arrive on the ground, systems of 
water, of light, and of education, together with 
church privileges, a <lry-go<)ds store, a grocery, a 
doctor, a newspaper, and, in many instances, a taste- 
ful new lUvelling ready for their occupancy. It is ex- 
])ected, or should be, that the two, ten, or twenty 
men who purchase a large tract of laud in a favor- 
able location; lay it off' in lots and parcels; plant 
upon it trees by the thousand, for shade and fruit; 
conduct to all parts of it an unfailing supply of 



COLONIZATION SCHEMES. 167 

pure soft water from some river or mountain spring, 
miles distant; l)uil(l a hotel; erect u church and 
a school-house; secure postal facilities; arrange for 
telephonic and telegraphic communication with the 
outside world; work early and late, and hard, to in- 
terest people in what they are doing; and lastly, 
worry until health declines, lest after all, the venture 
may fail, will reap something of a harvest from the 
one or two hundred thousand dollars sown in all 
these improvements. 

There are in Southern California a score, prob- 
ably, of prosperous colonies. Some of them have 
expanded into beautiful towns and strengthened into 
extensive fruit-growing communities. In a preced- 
ino- chapter I have referred to a cluster of such 
settlements, all lying south-east of Los Angeles, in 
the Santa Ana Valley. But on the through line of 
the Southern Pacific Railway, east of the city and 
within a distance of seventy miles, has been planted 
another series of such colonies. It will do the 
reader, who has never seen California, good to read 
about tliem. 

Last Thursday afternoon, at four o'clock, the 
through eastern train on the above road pulled out 
from the depot in Los Angeles with the writer on 
board, wound through a dusty street or two, then 
turned squarely away from the sunset, swept across 
the nearly dry bed of the Los Angeles River, and 
struck out for the "-reat Colorado Desert. On our 



168 CALIFORNIA. 

left until long after sunset, the purple Sierra Madres 
were in full view from the car windows, while short 
spurs and ranges, named for the whole catalogue of 
saints, shot out into the plain, over which we were 
speeding, in every direction. For the first two or 
three miles out the traveler sees nothing attractive, 
except a few vineyards and young orange orchards, 
with occasional residences planted on the hills 
around. 

The first halt is at Alharabra, which suggests 
Washington Irving and Old Spain, but which con- 
sists of little more than a fine hotel, set away on a 
sightly hill-top under the Sierra Madre. Running 
on some miles the train stopped in front of the ancient 
church of the San Gabriel Mission, eleven and a half 
miles from the city. Here stood this somewhat 
unique structure when Los Angeles was founded, one 
hundred years ago. All around it lies the rich and 
highly cultivated San Gabriel Valley, verdant with 
all kinds of fruit orchards, and as fragrant with flow- 
ers as Ignatius Donnelly claims were the fair plains 
of the submerged island of Atlantis. It was the floral 
copy of this church which formed so notable a 
feature of the San Gabriel exhibit at the brilliant 
flower festival held in Los Angeles last May. 

Next on the list is the incipient town of La 
Puente, which recalls to mind the fact that the La 
Puente Raucho in this vicinity, is a tract of land 
deemed exceedingly rich in petroleum deposit. Some 



COL ONIZA TION SCHEMES. 1 G 9 

six years ago — 1880, I tliink — two indomitable 
Canadian gentlemen, the Messrs. George and Will- 
iam Chaifey, founders of the flourishing colony of 
Ontario, where our train will soon arrive, were 
engaged, with some others, in developing this source 
of wealth here. About that time Mr. Burdette 
Chandler, a gentleman familiar with coal-oil mining 
in Pennsylvania, began boring for oil on this ranch. 
At a depth of one hundred and fifty feet he obtained 
in paying quantities a grade of oil similar to the 
West Virginia lubricating oil. Three wells were 
put down to a depth varying from one hundred and 
fifty to five hundred feet. Each well, produced fif- 
teen barrels per day at the outset. About this time 
was organized the Chandler Oil Company, for the 
purpose of developing the petroleum on this farm. 
Other wells were then sunk, with flattering results; 
also a refinery was erected for distilling the oil. In 
the " Annual Report of the Los Angeles Board of 
Trade" for 1886, I notice that coal-oil is mentioned 
as one of the most promising resources of Los An- 
geles County. It is well known that the county 
abounds with oil springs, asphaltum beds, and mines 
of brea. 

The celebrated Brea Rancho, situated some 
eight or nine miles north-west of Los Angeles, af- 
fords a splendid example of the bituminous deposit 
of the region. Originally this was a large and val- 
uable estate, whose proprietor, becoming pecuniarily 



170 CALIFORNIA. 

involved, mortgaged portions of it to enable him to 
meet his obligations. But before the debts were 
liquidated death released him from his burdens, 
transferring them to the shoulders of his widow. 
She bravely faced the responsibility, sold enough of 
the estate to cancel the mortgages, and then began 
mining the brea as a source of income for herself, 
reducing it on the estate, to a form convenient for 
making cement pavement for streets. The whole 
was a piece of good management, and the lady now 
finds herself on the road to independence. Five 
hundred acres of this property are the possession of 
ex-Senator Cornelius Cole, of California, appointed 
some years ago to settle the claims of the Pacific 
Coast creditors in the notorious Alabama case. 

But while we have been talking about coal-oil 
the train has run on to Pomona, an enterprising 
village thirty-three miles from the city, and the 
spot, of all others in Southern California, on which 
the Goddess of Fruits should shower her favors, 
since it bears her name. The place has existed but 
a few years, and has a population of twenty-five 
hundred people probably. Being a part of the great 
plain which slopes southward from the base of the 
Sierra Madre, its soil is inexhaustibly fertile, and 
its climate almost faultless. Groves of semi-tropical 
fruits flourish on all sides. A perennial supply of 
pure water is furnished by a stream which breaks 
from the mountains back of it. That the place has 



COLONIZATION SCHEMES. 171 

schools, rhnrchcs, and other faoilltios for the im- 
provemont of the citizens, goes without saying. For 
years to come, Pomona will he associated with the 
name of that admirable Christian man, Rev. C. T. 
Mills, who, with his capable wife, founded Mills 
Seminary near Oakland, California, a number of 
years ago. At one time Dr. Mills represented a 
large interest in the land on which this village 
stands, and his wise assistance in the development 
of the colony insured the gratifying progress we 
now see. While here attending to its affairs, 
one dav, he met with the accident that cost him 
his life. Being thrown from his carriage, he re- 
ceived an injury to one of his arms which resulted 
in amputation, and subsequently in death. Thus 
was Mrs. Mills, assisted by a board of trustees, left 
the sole head of the institution, and also an impor- 
tant member of the Pomona Land Company. Dr. 
Mills, who was for some years president of Batti- 
cotta Theological Seminary, India, and also of Oahu 
College for Young Men in Honolulu, had the 
respect and friendship of many prominent people in 
this country. 

Four miles further eastward, the train halts in 
front of the trim little station-house at Ontario. 
The tasteful building, with its surrounding of gay 
flowers and borderings of bright color, looks more 
like a summer-house on some gentleman's estate, 
than like a temporary shelter for passengers, and 



172 CALIFORNIA. 

the business office of the railway. The place takes 
its name from Ontario, Canada, where its founders, 
the ChafFey brothers, spent their youth. Their 
father was once the owner of large shipping inter- 
ests in an old Canadian city, and established quite 
a commerce with certain American towns. As the 
train draws up, passengers on the village side of the 
cars exclaim: "What a pretty place!" But I hap- 
pen to kuow that a little over four years ago not one 
building, and but a single tree, relieved the thou- 
sand desolate acres now changed into this pleasant 
scene. Less than three years since, I visited the 
place for the purpose of studying the practical 
workings of colonization schemes. The town was 
then undergoing wide advertising as " the model 
colony" of Southern California, and was a place of 
great interest for many reasons, but the reader will 
be most concerned in its present situation. 

Ontario lies in San Bernardino County, the 
largest county in the State (having an area of ten 
million acres), is thirty-eight miles east of Los An- 
geles, and is a part of the territory known as the 
" warm belt," a strip of country from eight to ten 
miles wide, which skirts, for a distance of seventy 
miles, from west to east, the base of the Sierra 
Madre Mountains, and includes all the thriving 
towns between Pasadena and the San Gorgonio 
Pass. This district is seldom visited by frosts, 
never by severe ones. It may be irrigated in every 



COLONIZA TION SCHEMES. 1 73 

part by water from the rivers which traverse it 
from north to south, or from mountain springs and 
torrents. It is therefore admirably adapted to the 
culture of both northern and .semi-tropical fruits. 

Ontario may also be said to lie in what is termed 
the Upper Santa Ana Valley, between two lofty 
ranges of mountains, the Sierra Madre, ten miles 
away on the north, the Temescal, fifteen miles dis- 
tant on the south. In every direction the view from 
the place is very fine. The town plat is a part of 
a tract of ten thousand acres to be devoted to the 
colony. Purer air can nowhere be breathed. 
Through the center of the tract, from the railway 
to the nearer mountains, stretches a beautiful ave- 
nue, seven miles long, two hundred feet wide, as 
straight as surveyor's chain could make it, with an 
ascending grade toward the Sierra of one thousand 
feet. Through the middle of this avenue was orig- 
inally allotted a space forty feet wide for a double 
line of cable railway to be operated by water. But 
as the cars stopped opposite the magnificent thor- 
oughfare, a passenger remarked : 

"The Ontario I.and Company is about to lay 
the rails for an electric road up one of those drives 
to the mountains, and thence around to the mouth 
of the famous San Antonio canon." 

Planted on both sides of this forty feet is a 
row of fan palms, alternating with the eucalyptus, 
or the pepper tree. Both the latter are rapid 



174 



CALIFORNIA. 



growers, and are set to secure temporary shade and 
tree effects until the palms n)ake a display, when 
they will be removed. The imposing effect of this 




Fan Palms. 

double row of the fan palm, when sufficiently 
grown, must be seen to be appreciated. Again, on 
either side of this central way, extends a carriage 
drive, sixty-five feet wide, very smooth, never 



COL ONIZA TION SCHEMES. 1 7 5 

dusty, and lined, next the sidewalk, hv a row of 
grevillia and pepper trees, with the eucalyptus inter- 
spersed. The grevillia is a handsome tree, ever- 
green, with bushy, spreading crown, and general 
appearance like that of the pepper tree, over which, 
however, it has the advantage of preserving a 
smooth, clean trunk in old age. Finally, fifteen feet 
are reserved on both sides this avenue for side- 
walks and external parks of flowers. Many of the 
lots fronting upon this street have been fenced with 
a hedge of the Monterey cypress. Should this 
hedge be continued to the mountains, there will ap- 
pear two low, trim lines of vivid green, seven miles 
long, doing away with unpicturesque fencings of 
wood and iron. Now imagine this broad roadway 
embellished with six rows of varied and fadeless 
green, the whole flanked with a wealth of beautiful 
bloom. Think of a drive at early morning, or 
after tea, up this smooth ascent, with the Sierra 
rising right before one and a health-giving breeze 
fanning the cheek. I myself rode over it when all 
this charm of vegetation was at the starting point, be- 
fore the grade was established quite to the mountains. 
It was a delightful ride. But with all this orna- 
mentation at maturity, there will be not another 
such street in California, unless a rival be found in 
Magnolia Avenue, at Riverside, of which we shall 
have a word to say further on ; nor on the conti- 
nent, except it be Euclid Avenue, in Cleveland, 



176 ^ CALIFORNIA. 

Ohio, whose name it borrows. The Ontario Euclid 
embraces one hundred and eighty acres of land, and 
is adorned with something like seventy thousand 
trees, and is twice the width of Cleveland's beau- 
tiful street. 

At the time of my first visit, eighteen months 
after the ground was broken, seventy families were 
settled upon the tract; a public school was in pro- 
gress; postal and telegraph facilities had been 
secured ; a commodious hotel had been erected, and 
the varied work of laying off lots, grading streets, 
putting down water-pipes, tunneling the mountains 
for unfailing water, setting vines for raisins, and 
planting a great variety of fruit trees, was going 
on with a will, besides building for this purpose 
and for that. Two years have passed since that 
day, changing the scene wondrously. How so much 
could have been done in so little time is a marvel. 

The soil of this warm belt is a sandy, gravelly 
loam, lying gently inclined to the southern and 
western sun, and is easily worked. Dense fogs, a 
serious hindrance in some localities to the curing 
of raisins, are said to visit Ontario too seldom to be 
taken into account. 

It should now bg said that the interests of the 
colony have passed from the hands of its founders. 
Some months ago a gentleman representing an 
Australian colonization company arrived in Los 
Angeles for the purpose of investigating the coloniza- 



CO L OyJZA TTON SCHEMES. 1 7 7 

tion schemes of Soulbern C'iilifornin. The fame of 
Ontario had reached liis cars. He paid the place a 
visit. The jihin of these brothers commended 
itself to his judgment. He conferred with them as 
to the feasibility of undertaking a similar enter- 
prise on land near the city of Melbourne. The re- 
sult was a proposition to the Messrs. Chaffey to 
transplant a colony of English people from the 
mother country to the Fifth Continent. Mr. George 
Chaifey soon sailed for Australia to look the 
field over. A grant of twenty-five thousand acres 
of land was offered him for the project. He 
accepted it, and decided to sell his interests in Ontario 
and remove his family to Melbourne. Returning 
to America he soon accomplished these steps, and 
is now domiciled in the far-off land with his wife 
and children. Mr. Williiim Chaffey and his family, 
it is understood, follow at a later day. This gen- 
tleman is also known as having been active a few 
years earlier in adorning that section of the town 
of Riverside called Arlington. These young men 
seem to possess a genius for taking the virgin soil 
and building up towns upon it. Their success at 
both Ontario and Etiwanda, Mr. George Chaffey 's 
place of residence, is strong evidence to that effect. 
I have it from a personal friend of this man, that 
when he arrived in Los Angeles, less than five years 
ago, "the sum of his wealth was four dollars." If 
that be true, Ontario, made to spring out of the 



178 CALIFORNIA. 

naked mesa in the space of four years, with all its 
present beauty, homes, and business, proves what 
wonders can be accomplished by sheer courage, 
energy, and industry, linked with a taste for educa- 
tion, and a reverence for God and religion. 

A feature of special importance at Ontario is the 
noble San Antonio canon. From the head of Euclid 
Avenue a carriage road winds off to the left, among 
the few low foot-hills of the Sierra Madre. After 
several hundred rods of distance, it turns and enters 
the rock-strewn mouth of this grand gorge, pen- 
etrating the Sierra not less than nine miles. Down 
this wild passage flows the clear, cold, roaring, 
tumbling stream, which gives the colony its splen- 
did drinking water. Speckled trout abound in it, 
as do quail among the foot-hills and loftier heights, 
making the place a paradise for the angler and 
the hunter. But the place has higher recommen- 
dations than its fine scenery and myriad life in air 
and water. It is an Eden for sufferers from asthma 
and rheumatism. Relief from these troubles has 
been, almost immediate in some cases, at the en- 
trance to this caiion. A well-known physician of 
Chicago relates that a severe case of asthma was 
greatly mitigated after one hour spent here, and a 
trying case of sciatic rheumatism yielded after a 
a two weeks' sojourn. 

In a tent pitched on a grassy plot, among some 
trees, at the opening to this gorge, there lived in 



( OLOMZA TION SCHEMES. 179 

1884 a gentleman from San Francisco, who had 
long been afflicted with asthma of a terrible type. 
So lono; as he remained in the canon his enemy let 
him alone, but the moment he ventured into IjOS 
Angeles for twenty-four hours, the disease attacked 
him so fiercely that he was glad to hasten back to 
his retreat under the shadow of the everlasting hills. 
He pronounces the spot the best for his malady he 
has ever found. 

Nor is the resort without attractions for well 
people. Numbers visit the locality every year for 
refreshment. Business men jaded with care and 
anxiety find new strength beside its merry stream. 
Romping among the granite bowlders, pining chil- 
dren become hardy as little bears. And such an 
appetite as people get! The most provident cook 
would be taxed to meet its demands. Some three 
years ago Mr. William ChafTey, worn with the bur- 
den of Ontario affairs, removed his wife and chil- 
dren to the canon and camped for several weeks. 
Speaking of that time, he told me that when ready 
•to return to his home he felt strong enough to found 
another colony. A fair road extends up the deep 
rent in- the mountains for a distance of some miles. 
Mount Baldy, the regal, snow-capped summit men- 
tioned in an early chapter of this book, stands at its 
head, eight miles from the mouth, and sixteen from 
Ontario and the Southern Pacific road. The monarch 
is worthy a visit. Its hcifrht is nine thousand feet. 



180 



CALIFORNIA. 



In all this ten thousand acres of inclined plane 
there is not an acre of marsh or fen; not a rod over 
which malaria dare hover; scarcely a foot which the 
health-giving sunshine does not bless. A thick fog 
rarely finds its way this distance from the sea. 
Sometimes a thin vapor floats over the tract just 
before morning, but even that vanishes soon after 
breakfast. About two o'clock, as sure as the after- 
noon comes, a refreshing breeze springs up and con- 
tinues until sunset. The average temperature of the 
Summer days is eighty degrees. The evenings are 
cool. Warm wraps are then necessary. 




XXIT. 
UlNEYAI^DS AND Ol^ANGE Gl^OYES. 



IN Southern California all distances are measured 
from Los Angeles. I mention, therefore, that 
Riverside, -with its beautiful suburb, Arlington — I 
am not sure but that I should say Arlington, with 
its less attractive suburb, Riverside — is located 
sixty-eight miles south-east of that city, and seven 
miles south of the Southern Pacific Railway. I 
entered the place in an open, high-seated, square- 
topped "stage," having left the train at Colton, nine 
miles distant. The vehicle tossed its load of six 
passengers about in a merciless fashion, but afforded 
us a fine view of the hills and valleys at every turn. 
Along most of our course wild flowers covered the 
ground as with a carpet. There were millions upon 
millions of the tiny things, exquisite in coloring, 
dainty in shape. 

Every feature and aspect of Riverside is rural. 
A day's ride through the State of Ohio by rail, in 
any direction, would reveal twenty such villages, 
omitting the vineyards, orange groves, cypress 
hedges, enoaly|>ti, :in<l fan ])alms of Riverside. 

"That sounds like omitting a great deal," say& 
the reader. It is. 

The whole vicinity of Riverside and Arlington 
16 151 



182 CALIFORNIA. 

furnishes indubitable evidence that somebody works 
in the valley. Yet during a drive of eight miles 
yesterday afternoon past an almost unbroken suc- 
cession of orange groves and vineyards, I actually 
saw only three men engaged in their cultivation. 
The grounds and trees were faultlessly clean. The 
leaves of the orange trees looked as if they had 
been subjected to an application of polishing pow- 
der, so glossy and bright were they. Probably the 
secret of all this tidiness, was, that the golden fruit 
had been gathered by the shippers, and any trim- 
ming the trees required after that, had been done 
and the ground carefully raked. The vines like- 
wise had had their pruning and were growing finely. 
Thus was the Spring work of the horticulturists 
"done up," just as housekeepers do up their Spring 
cleaning. The extreme neatness of some of the 
orchards added immensely to their attractions. I 
had visited fine orange orchards in Florida, but 
never had I seen a sight to compare with these 
miles upon miles of glistening trees. From the 
road to far back in the distance stretched the diag- 
onal rows as straight as hand of man could set them. 
To have stopped a few moments here and there, sim- 
ply to look at them, would have been a satisfaction, 
but I was taking a hurried drive and could not tarry. 
In 1884 Rivervside had the largest acreage of 
vines and trees of any of the colonies giving atten- 
tion to orange and raisin culture south of the Sierra 



vim: YARDS AND oRAKdE (i ROVES. iS:> 

Mad re. Yet no ftirther back than 1870, this valley, 
now so smiling and yielding such lavisli returns to 
its cultivators, was but a silent waste, mantled in 
Spring-time with gay flowers and tall wild grasses. 
The soil is composed largely of disintegrated rock, 
washed from the surrounding mountains by the 
storms of ages, and possesses almost boundless pow- 
ers of production. But these powers were dormant. 
Something was needed to arouse them, and that 
something was simply the voice of running water. 
The making this discovery has changed the face of 
Nature all over this section of our country. There 
was more sense in General Fremont's idea of flood- 
ing the Colorado Desert, or portions of it, in order 
to render it productive, than he has ever had credit 
for. He has been laughed at for his supposed want 
of sense in even thinking of so shallow a project. 
Yet experiment has proved that water is the one 
thing necessary to convert miles of those arid 
stretches into fruitful gardens. 

In September of 1870 the Soutiiorn (^ilifornia 
Colony Association was formed for the purpose 
of buying and selling lands, and of appropri- 
ating the water of the Santa Ana River to the 
irrigation of sixteen townships. The next year, in 
June, a canal was finished to the hamlet now called 
Riverside. Then began the experiments in irriga- 
tion. Wonderful mutation! Then, the barren land. 
To-day, fruit, bloom, and beauty everywhere, with 



184 



CALIFORNIA. 



fortunes making and fortunes promised, all out of 
the once somnolent soil. 

In the chapter on Ontario reference was made 
to Magnolia Avenue, in Arlington, which is but an 
extension of Hiverside, and contains many pretty 
streets and handsome homes, Riverside being the 
business portion of the place. It includes the 




The Pepper Tree. 
hotels, stores, newspaper offices, and all kinds of 
shops. But Arlington's street, par excellence, is 
Magnolia Avenue, consisting of a double driveway, 
each lined on both sides by a row of pepper, eucalyp- 
tus, fan-palm, and grevillia trees, alternating in 
places. The appearance of the street is magnificent. 
The effect is produced mainly by the two passage- 
ways and the several lines of trees, intensified by 
the presence of the palms, and by plats of brilliant 



• VINEYARDS AND ORANGK GROVES. 1«5 

flowers blooming between the curb-stone and side- 
walk in front of some of the residences. Merely 
as a street Magnolia Avenue far transcends the 
world-renowned Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. Rut 
the moment the lawns and residences of P^uelid 
Avenue are placed in the picture, it completely 
eclipses the Arlington thoroughfare. There are 
some fine dwellings, however, among these orange 
groves, themselves a feature tvhich can never grace 
the Cleveland street. 

In orange culture Riverside is supposed to rival 
the best orange-fields of the continent. Eminent 
among the varieties grown here is the Riverside 
Naval, an orange of Brazilian origin, and surpassing 
in size and flavor, as some think, the luscious Indian 
River orange of Florida. At the California fruit 
exhibits it has "often taken the premium over all 
competitors," being pronounced the best orange 
grown in the United States. About 1885 a blood 
orange, in flavor superior to the well-known Malta, 
made its appearance in this valley, coming from the 
Island of Tahiti. There are said to be growing in 
Southern California thirty-three varieties of oranges, 
and fourteen or more kinds of lemons. 

RAISIN CULTURE AT RIVERSIDE. 

But it is as a center of raisin culture, perhaps, 

that Riverside comes most prominently to the front 

among the colonies of Southern California. I should 

say, without the figures at hand to prove it, that its 



186 



CALIFORNIA. 



sliipments of this fruit exceed those from all other 
points combined. In this valley much study and in- 
telligent experiment have been given to the industry, 
and it has been learned that four conditions are 
indispensable to success in the pursuit. These are: 
A rich, warm, well-drained soil; a dry atmosphere; 




Raisin Grapes. 

skillful cultivation of the soil, and a high tempera- 
ture for curing the fruit. All these requisites seem 
to obtain at Riverside. The reader may have sup- 
posed that raisins can be made wherever grapes can 
be grown. A few observations taken in a raisin- 
making community would banish that notion. 
Grapes can be grown where rains are frequent; but 
a shower when raisins are curing, is an undesirable 
visitor. The details of the industry are very in- 
teresting. If the reader will peruse the following 



RAISIN CULTURE. 187 

paragraphs he will get a good idea of how raising 
are made. Most of the information given was 
derived from the Messrs. Orrin and William Backus, 
intelligent raisin-growers at Riverside. 

The grape most in favor with the Riverside cul- 
turists, and the one from which their best raisins 
arc made, is the Muscat of Alexandria, a native of 
Northern Africa. Besides this, there are much cul- 
tivated, the Muscatel Gordo Blanco, a large, white, 
pulpy grape, of high flavor, and the Seedless Sul- 
tana, a small, white, prolific variety, mainly used 
for cooking. The Muscat, however, is the staple 
grape for raisins. Under favorable circumstances 
it yields very large, open clusters, which, when ripe, 
are of a light, amber color, firm in flesh and rich 
in sugar. The seeds are small, and the flavor very 
fine. The Muscat vine is peculiarly sensitive to 
cold and dampness, especially at the period of 
inflorescence. Such a state of weather is quite cer- 
tain to produce sterile blossoms. It is for this 
reason that the Muscat is not so well adapted to 
the northern part of the State, where showers and 
heavy fogs are frequent. Also, the occurrence of a 
few extremely hot days in Summer will cause the 
berries to fall; while a chilly season delays their 
maturing, and increases the labor of curing them. 

A raisin vineyard is in full bearing at eight 
years from the planting. Properly eared for after 
that age, it ought to yield bountifully for at least 



188 CALIFORNIA. 

forty years. Some of the vineyards of the Mission 
Grape — a wine-making fruit — planted in Caliiornia 
by the Franciscan Fathers, are a century old, yet 
but a few years since, the black, distorted stumps of 
one of these vineyards were to be seen fruiting in 
the neighborhood of Aliso Street, in Los Angeles. 
Once in bearing, therefore, a raisin vineyard may 
be a source of income during the owner's life-time; 
and, should he be early removed by death, is a de- 
sirable property to leave his family. 

The operations of pruning and irrigating the 
vines; of picking, drying, and packing the raisins, 
require the exercise of skill and intelligence, 
if the vineyardist would reap a harvest from his 
investment. In the singular soil of California na- 
ture has hidden away many a fortune, and if man 
would persuade her to unlock them for his benefit, 
he must work in harmony with her plans. There- 
fore, if she requires grapevines to be trimmed down 
to two eyes, instead of more, his wisest course is to 
obey her. If she resents having the soil washed 
away from, rather than properly soaked above their 
roots, during irrigation, he had better gracefully 
yield the point. Prodigal irrigation meets its pun- 
ishment in deteriorated fruits and impoverished 
fields. How often and how much to irrigate, are 
important questions in California. Location, the 
character of the soil, and the variation in the sea- 
sons, modify the answer. The fruit-grower must 



JiAISTN CULTURE. ISO 

use his judgment, and his experience, in deciding 
the case. 

In planting vines for raisins, cuttings from 
eighteen to twenty inches in length, and bearing 
from three to five healthy buds, are preferred. The 
cutting is made close to one bud, and that one, with 
one or two others, is buried firmly beneath the well- 
prepared soil. 

The cnstomary, and probably best time for prun- 
ing is in December and January. It may be done 
at anv time after the leaves fall and before the buds 
start. A second or "Summer pruning" is practiced 
by some vine-dressers. But the step is objected to 
by others, on the ground that removing many of 
the leaves exposes the berries to sun-burn. At the 
Winter pruning Mr. Backus, who has made an ear- 
nest study of the soil and climate, cuts his canes 
down to ten or twelve inches from the ground. It 
is considered that a low, strong stump, with short 
spurs for the fruit, insures better results than does 
a greater length of vine. Just before the buds 
start, the ground is plowed and irrigated thoroughly. 
If a second and later irrigation can be avoided, the 
better. If not, just enough water should be given 
the vines to ripen the fruit. To insure first-class 
raisins, the grapes must be fully ripe when cut. 

When the Muscat berries have taken on a clear, 

bright, amber color, as they do between the first and 

mitldle of Septemb':^-, they are ready for the piok- 
17 



190 CALIFORNIA. 

ing. Chinese alid Indians are usually employed for 
this branch of the work. In some vineyards the 
picking is done by the day, in others by the tray, the 
wages varying from $1.50 to $2.00 per day. Each 
picker removes the clusters from two rows of vines 
at the same time, placing them on wooden" trayg 
capable of holding twenty pounds each, which are 
placed at intervals between the rows. In the pick- 
ing great care is taken not to remove the " bloom " 
from the fruit with the hands, as that detracts from 
the appearance of the raisins. Three trays, of 
twenty jwunds each, will make twenty pounds of 
raisins. Thus the fruit shrinks about two-thirds in 
curing. 

The weather being favorable, the raisins will 
dry in about fourteen days. Should a shower fall 
while they are curing, the trays must be "stacked," 
several in a company, the sides being well protected 
in some way. By this arrangement the berries will 
stand a heavy rain Avithout injury. It has been 
learned that to incline the trays to the sun on 
favorable days hastens the drying. The fruit is 
turned but once during the fourteen days, but the 
act requires some dexterity, as a tray-full is turned 
by a single movement. It is accomplished by 
inverting an empty tray upon a full one, and turning 
both simultaneously, the full tray thus becomes the 
empty one. Two men are required for the deed. 

By some parties the trays are allowed to remain 



RAISIN C UL T URE. 1 ^ 1 

on the ground between the rows during the drying. 
By others they are disposed in an open space, 
where the fruit may have the full fervor of the sun 
and the free sweep of the air. Formerly it was the 
custom to lay the clusters on the bare ground to 
dry, and to turn each one by hand. Laying them 
on paper superseded this practice. Boards were 
next adopted. Then followed frames made of lath. 
Trays are the latest invention. 

The berries not being uniform in size, there 
results unevenness in the curing. Before they are 
packed, however, not only must the moisture be 
equalized, but the aroma must be developed; also 
the fragile stems must be rendered pliable, else the 
clusters will be broken in the packing. All these 
results are secured by placing the trays in contriv- 
ances called "sweat-boxes" for a few days. Here 
the fruit is "evened up," or brought to the requi- 
site condition for the final step. On removal from 
the sweat-box the bunches are assorted into Layers, 
London Layers, and Loose Muscatels. From this 
last grade the Riverside Packing Company selects 
the small seedless raisins and rates them as "Seed- 
less Sultanas," though not one of them is the fruit 
of a Sultana vine. Some parties cull from the trays, 
before the turning, such stems as will rank as 
London Layers, and place them on separate trays, 
where they may dry uniformly. 

After the distribution into classes, the raisins 



192 CALIFORNIA. 

are weighed into parcels of five pounds each. The 
packer then presses each package into close shape, 
places it in a mold of proper size, puts that under 
a lever-press until the fruit is quite compact, when 
he drops it, wrapped in fine white paper, into the 
box in which it is to go to market. Raisin-boxes 
are graded in sizes to hold two-and-a-half, five, ten, 
and twenty pounds each. The last are known as 
whole boxes, and always contain four of the five- 
pound packages. 

The yield of raisins from the vicinity of River- 
side is very great. In 1883 it amounted to sixty 
thousand boxes. At that time most of the vine- 
yards had about half reached maturity. Thirty- 
three tons per acre, or two thousand two hundred 
and thirty trays, each averaging twenty pounds, 
was the product of Mr. Backus's young vineyard 
that year. Of course, the harvest has vastly in- 
creased since that time. 

California raisin-makers have learned that vines 
permitted to overbear, produce an inferior quality 
of fruit, a much finer flavor being obtained when 
prodigality of production is checked. It is said 
that for a prime quality of raisins, the Malaga 
grower, who received the award for the best raisins 
shown at the Philadelphia Centennial, allows his 
vines to produce only two pounds of fruit each. 



XXIII. 

(she ^IGOS and JPHE SUI^I^BNDEI^ OP 
^AHUENGA. 



IMMEDIATELY after my return from my jaunt 
to Riverside, I met at her pleasant home, near 
the First Presbyterian Church, in Los Angeles, a 
daughter of General Andrez Pico, the Mexican 
officer who surrendered to Captain, now General 
J. C. Fremont, in 1848, if I am correct — I write 
from memory as to the date — the famous Cahuenga 
Pass, a rudely fortified position some nine miles 
from the city, in the San Fernando ISIountains. 
This event in the history of Southern California is 
one of which a stranger in this part of the State 
often hears. And it is not an infrequent thing for 
such to be asked : 

"Have you visited the Cahuenga Pass yet?" 
Having answered my share of such interrogato- 
ries in the negative, and hoping to obtain from this 
daughter a correct version of the action at Cahu- 
enga, I called at her home. The lady, loyal to the 
Pico blood in her veins, was affable in manner, and 
appeared interested in my (.rrnnd. 

She had "often heard the story — the Mexican 
side of it — but, unfortunately, her memory was not 

reliable; and, besides, Mexican women were not 

193 



194 CALIFORNIA. 

accustomed to remember those matters as the Amer- 
ican women do." Then she urged me to "see her 
uncle, Don Pio Pico, at his residence in the old 
quarter of the city," or to call "upon Colonel 
Warner, a life-long friend of Don Pio. Either of 
those gentlemen could tell exactly how Cahuenga 
was delivered up to the Americans by her father." 
So wending my way through High Street, 
until I came to a long, low, adobe house, stand- 
ing back some little distance from the corner of 
Castellar Street, in that part of the city called 
Sonoratown, I inquired of a Mexican woman in 
the yard if the place were the residence of Don 
Pio Pico. 

"It is," she replied, "but he is not here. He is 
at Ranchita, his country home, a few miles out of 
the city, and comes in to-morrow. But walk in, 
and I will find the Senora Ortega, the sister of Don 
Pio, who will be glad to see you, although she 
speaks little English." 

While the woman kindly sought the Senora, who 
was employed in the domestic apartments of the 
house, I took note of the surroundings. The house 
stands in an ample yard, fenced with boards, at the 
base of the high hill which terminates Fort Street, 
near Temple. A long piazza finishes the eastern 
side. Upon this open the five or six rooms, all on 
the ground-floor, which compose the dwelling. 
Externally and internally it is far from palatial. 



THE SURRENDER OF CAIIUENGA. 195 

The apurt.ncnt which serves as a family sitting- 
room and parlor for guests, is innocent of carpet, 
except that a short strip of tapestry Brussels answers 
the purpose of a rug in front of the sofa. A cou- 
ple of small stands, a willow chair or two, and a 
set of furniture upholstered in green reps, faded 
and worn, with the wood-work stained to imitate 
rosewood, render the place home-like, a variety of 
bright ornaments and fixtures on the white wall 
adding to this effect. Every thing was in perfect 
order,''and the house scrupulously clean throughout, 
showing that Mrs. Ortega is a good housekeeper. 

Presently in came the lady, small, homely, 
wrinkled, aged seventy-four, ignorant of English, 
but very courteous and rpiick to understand. From 
a niece who acconM^inied her-the Mrs. Perkins, 
of Santa Barbara, of whom I have already spoken— 
I learned that Mrs. Ortega is one of a fiunily of 
eleven children, of whom eight were daughters, and 
of whom only three survive, herself, a sister in 
Santa Barbara, aged eighty-eight, and Don Pio 
Pico, now eighty-four, each one being remarkably 
active and hale. The Picos are native Californians, 
but of true Spanish descent, ami in intellectual 
qualities surpass the average of the race. 

The father of the family was a corporal in the 
Spanish army. At the beginning of this century 
he was stationed at the well-known Mission of San 
Gabriel, where he died many years ago. His eldest 



196 CALIFORNIA. 

son, Jose Antouio Pico, was an officer in the Mex- 
ican army, from his early manliood until the acces- 
sion of California, and reached the grade of lieu- 
tenant. 

The youngest son, Andrez Pico, was also an 
officer in that army, and attained the rank of gen- 
eral. It was he who figured as the Mexican com- 
mander in a sharp conflict with a force of American 
infantry, under one Captain Gray, at San Pasqual, 
in December, 1846, and soon afterwards, in con- 
ducting the negotiations preliminary thereto, and 
concluding the famous treaty of Cahuenga, with 
Captain Fremont. On the part of the Mexican 
leader, the last aifair was a brilliant achievement, 
in which, according to some authorities, he com- 
pletely outgeneraled the American officer. The 
substance of a graphic account of the event, as 
contained in the "Reminiscences of a Ranger," by 
Major Horace Bell, is here appended : 

"As Colonel Fremont approached Cahuenga, 
frowning artillery confronting him from the intrench- 
ments, he was met with a flag of truce from Gen- 
eral Pico within the stronghold. A parley ensued, 
and the treaty of Cahuenga was the result. Repre- 
senting the Republic of Mexico, Pico proposed to 
disband his force, the officers retaining their pri- 
vate arms; to deliver to Captain Fremont all the 
arms and munitions of war at the Pass, and to 
permit the latter to march, without opposition, into 



THE SURRENDER OF CAllUENGA. 197 

the city of Los Angeles, on condition that he — 
General Pico — shoukl have two hours in which to 
make his preparations and retire his force from the 
fort, after which the American commander might 
march in and take possession. 

" On his part Colonel Fremont agreed that the 
Mexican force should be allowed to retire peaceably 
to their homes, and there remain unmolested; and 
also that certain Mexican officers who had violated 
their paroles in tlie preceding September, should be 
pardoned. Having affixed their signatures to the 
treaty, each commander retaining a copy, General 
Pico, at the head of about forty men, withdrew 
from the fort, and the Americans marched in. 

"The spoils, which by this treaty passed out of 
the hands of humbled Mexico, were two batteries 
of artillery, consisting of a dozen live-oak logs, 
mounted on as many nativ^e corretas ; one venerable 
blunderbuss, the date of which, engraved upon it, 
suggested service at the siege of Granada ; two flint- 
lock Spanish holster-pistols, and forty Mexican 
ox-goads, with gay pennons attached." 

Don Andreas Pico is said to have been a great 
humorist, and to have taken much delight in laugh- 
ing over his Quaker demonstrations at Cahuenga. 
During the governorship of General Micheltoreno 
over California, General Pico was liis aid-de-camp. 
After the acquirement of the province by the 
United States, he held several responsible positions 



198 CALIFORNIA. 

under both the State and general governments. 
And snbseqncnt to the admission of California into 
the Union, he represented the county of Los An- 
geles in the State General Assembly, and the 
Southern District of California in the Senate. He 
was a man who had many friends. His demise 
occurred some nine years ago. 

The surviving brother, Don Pio Pico, seems not 
to have had a taste for military life ; or if so, the 
circumstances of his youth precluded his enter- 
ing the Mexican army. He however became prom- 
inent in the political changes which took place in 
California, from about the year 1831 onward to 
1846. From a warm personal friend of the gentle- 
man, I have the following facts in his career: 

In his youth he had but narrow opportunities 
for education. He however learned to read and 
write well in Spanish, and acquired a good knowl- 
edge of arithmetic. In early manhood, his father 
having died, he was left without patrimony, to 
provide for his widowed mother and several sisters. 
But he proved himself an admirable manager, and 
accumulated property until, at the age of forty-five, 
he had the reputation throughout Southern Califor- 
nia of being a wealthy man. At that period, 1845, 
himself and his brother Andrez were joint proprie- 
tors of the magnificent rancho of Santa Margarita, 
in San Diego County. The property comprised 
ninety thousand acres. There roamed upon it from 



.THE SURRENDER OF CAUUENGA. 19'^ 

six to eight thousand head of cattle, common prop- 
erty also. 

In "addition to this Don Pio Pico was the sole 
owner of a valuable estate situated in Los Angeles 
County, some twelve or fourteen miles from the 
city, and called Ranehita. This he still retains, 
spending most of his time upon it. Subsequently 
he acquired considerable property in Los Angeles, 
the site on which the "Pico House" now stands, 
and that building itself, being a part of it. 

In 1834, Mr. Pico, having become attached to 
a young Spanish woman by the name of Maria Ig- 
nacia Alvarado, entered the matrimonial state. The 
lady was a distinguished beauty, and a person of 
fascinating manners. Speaking of her yesterday, a 
Spanish woman who knew her well said to me: 

"You should have seen her. Words can not 
express her looks, nor her charming ways when she 
conversed with people. She smiled the most sweetly 
of all women." 

Twenty-four years have passed away since this 
lovely woman died, leaving no children. Tenderly 
cherishing her memory. Governor Pico has never 
married again. At that time it was quite the cus- 
tom among Mexican women, as it now is, to smoke 
cigarettes. Mrs. Pico is said to have indulged in 
this practice occasionally. But her husband carried 
the habit to excess, being an almost constant 
smoker. The friend I am quoting in this particu- 



20U CALIFORNIA. 

lar states that one day during the lady's final ill- 
ness, herself and Don Pio were enjoying their 
cigarettes together, when she was seized with a 
terrible rigor, which terminated in death in 
about an hour. " From that day to the present," 
said my informant, "Don Pio Pico has never 
smoked." 

Upon the expulsion of Governor Micheltoreno, 
as the executive of California, in 1839, I think, 
Mr. Pico, by virtue of being the senior member of 
the California Legislature, became ex-oflficio gov- 
ernor of the province. Afterward he was elected 
and appointed " Governor of the Department of the 
Californias," as provided under the Constitution of 
Mexico. This position he retained until the trans- 
fer of what is now the State of California to the 
United States, August 14, 1846. During his ad- 
ministration the city of Los Angeles was the seat 
of government. Just preceding its occupation by 
the American forces, Governor Pico judged it pru- 
dent, for political reasons, to withdraw from his 
capital. Retiring to Lower California, he crossed 
thence to the State of Sonora, where he remained in 
exile until some time in '49 or '50, since which time 
he has resided in or near this city. 

At the secularization of the California Missions 
by the Mexican Government, Don Pio Pico was 
appointed administrator of the Mission of San Luis 
Rey, an important position, and one he maintained 



THE SURRENDER OF CAHUENGA. 201 

for a number of years. About the same time Gen- 
eral Andrez Pico was made one of the grantees of 
the magnificent estate belonging to the Mission of 
San Fernando, lying in the fertile valley of that 
name. The interest in this property also was held 
in common by the two brothers. After a time Don 
Pio acquired his brother's claim and eventually 
sold it for a large sum of money. 

For years past the Catholic Church has been at 
law for the recovery of both these princely domains, 
and yesterday morning a Catholic priest informed 
me, with a somewhat triumphant air, that the Church 
had succeeded, the San Fernando property having 
recently fallen into her hands. 

Don Pio, " the last of the Picos," is a person 
who, once seen, could not well be forgotten. He 
is of medium height, stoutly built, with straight 
shoulders, full face, dark eyes, sno'vvy hair, and 
brown skin. He is social, charitable, polished in 
manners. These gifts and graces win him the high 
regard of all. acquaintances, and the admiration of 
his kindred. He is one of the few representatives 
remaining of the Mexican regime in California. 



XXIV. 

©1MB Beguiles XJois. 



A SINGULAR feature of life in Southern Cali- 
fornia is the apparent rapid flight of time. 
The days seem to come and go on the wings of the 
wind. A very short sojourn on the coast suffices 
to produce this impression. Nor is it made only 
upon the strangers who tarry but for a Winter, or a 
year. Even old residents of the country say there 
is something remarkable in the haste with which 
the passing part of eternity speeds by. 

" Here Time waits for nobody, I assure you," 
said a citizen lately, who had enjoyed the Pacific 
breeze for twelve years. " I used to wonder if this 
impression, of no length to the days, would not wear 
off after a while ; but I see no difference. Slow 
time must have gone out with the dreaming Mex- 
icans." 

Said a lady from Chicago to the writer a few 
days since: " What an alarming hurry the days are 
in on this strange coast ! It is noon before sun- 
rise, and night before midday. I have the feeling 
all the while, that I must in some way chain the 
time until I can accomplish something." 

My own experience confirms these statements. 

202 



TIME BEGUILES YOU. 203 

Eight months have elapsed since my entrance Into 
this old Spanish town, yet, should I be informed 
that half tliat nuniher is the real length of time, I 




Time Beruilea. 



should acce[)t the aunouiiotMiiont as correct. Even 
young persons, for whom Father Time, accoutered 
with hour-glass and scythe, is usually much too 



204 CALIFORNIA. 

slow, appear to be quite satisfied with the progress 
the quaint old fellow makes in the Golden State. 

How to account for this influence is difficult. 
There seems to exist in the country a something 
which cheats the senses. Whether it be in the air, 
the sunshine, in the ocean breeze, or in all these 
combined, I can not say. Certainly the climate is 
not the home-made, common-sense article of the 
ante-Rocky Mountain States. It is a product oi 
consummate art. There is a variety in the even- 
ness of the weather, and a strange evenness in this 
variety, which throws an unreality around life, and 
not more, so far as I can learn, in the case of per- 
sons especially affected by climatic influences than 
of those whose feelings do not rise and fall with the 
thermometer. All alike walk and work in a dream. 
Something beguiles, deludes, plays falsely with the 
senses. Were only the aged, or the ill, or the sor- 
rowful, subjects of the influence, the matter would 
be less worthy of remark. But since old and 
young, sad and happy, are its victims, there is 
some ground for the attention I am giving the 
subject. 

It appears to make trifling difference in the ease 
how closely one applies one's self. The effect is the 
same. I seat myself to write at nine o'clock in the 
morning. In an incredibly short time it is one 
o'clock. I realize that I am hungry. I take my 
light dinner of bread and peaches, and return to my 



TIME BECIUTLES YOU. 205 

task. Ere I am aware the sun is dropping into 
the Pacific. I find myself unspeakably tired, but 
have had no appreciation of the passage of the day. 
Had I been at home, on -the southern shore of much 
maligned Lake Erie, I should have "sensed" the 
going by of nine honest, substantial hours, though 
I had been just as busy. Now, I am not finding 
fault with this state of things. I rather like it. I 
think all the people do. It is in keeping with 
every thing else on this coast. Every thing is new 
and peculiar and wonderful. 

A friend under this roof says she has "dreamed 
away eleven years in this city, since bidding adieu 
to the rigor of Michigan Winters," and, so far as 
her "realizing its length is concerned, the time 
might as well have been two years as eleven." She 
declares that frequently upon awakening in the 
morning, she has to ask herself what day of the week 
it is, and sometimes what season of the year, so 
uncertain is she as to just where the time is. This 
suggests that indefinite ideas of the days and seasons 
arc due, certainly in part, to the slight change 
which marks the seasons. Scores upon scores of 
days are alike as to warmth, brightness, and beauty. 
Flowers bloom the year round. Most of the trees 
wear a changeless dress. 

18 



206 CALIFORNIA. 

DO THEY NEVER SLEEP? 

Another strange characteristic of the country is 
the sleeplessness of the fowls and dogs. I can not 
remember to have wakened once in the night since 
ni}^ advent into Los Angeles, when a multitude of 
these creatures were not doing their "level best" to 
excel in exercising their vocal organs. The result, 
of course, is an intense and wide-spread din, a great 
volume of Growings and barkings. The air is filled 
with the music, and sleep is driven to the mount- 
ains, or out to sea. 

However, in this respect California can not hold 
a candle — excuse the expression — to old-new Ari- 
zona. During a week spent in the unique but 
interesting city of Tucson last Winter, a small col- 
ony of fowls was "corraled" in the court of the 
house in which I lodged. A window of my room, 
which I was obliged to have open at night for fresh 
air, opened upon this court. Those feathered people 
must have understood that I was a stranger in the 
land of silver and gold, and have desired to give 
me a cordial welcome, for every night, presumably 
at great cost of comfort to themselves, they arranged 
an all-night concert for my entertainment. Several 
neighboring companies joined heartily in the cho- 
ruses, and with such force as to convince me that 
the domestic bird of Arizona excels the world in 
vocal talent. I can account for the steady nightly 



J THUNDER SHOWER IN MIDSUMMER. 207 

music of the Los Angeles fowls, on the ground that 
the city is so -vvcll lighted that they can not distin- 
guish night from day, but why those of Arizona 
should never sleep is a mystery. 

A THUNDER SHOWER IN ^^DSUMMER. 

About mid-afternoon yesterday, several unusual 
sounds caused the citizens to step quickly to the 
doors and take a look at the sky. These rare 
noises were simply a few moderate peals of thunder. 
It being Sunday, most of the week-day clamor was 
hushed. Thus were the tones from the heavens all 
the more distinct and startling. Not more sur- 
prised, though undoubtedly more alarmed, would 
the people have been had the notes been the pre- 
monitions of an earthquake. A sensible daughter in 
the household, looking up from her book, said: 

"Well, we have lived in this city eleven years, 
and this is the first time I have heard thunder in 
Summer. We occasionally, in Winter, hear such 
reminders of our Michigan home, but never after 
April." It was then the 4th of August. 

A lady residing in San Bernardino affirms that 
it was the first time she had listened to such music 
in midsummer, during a sojourn of thirteen years in 
Southern California. These remarks attest the rar- 
ity of electrical phenomena on this part of the coast. 
But Nature must certainly have changed her pro- 
gramme for 1884, for I have heard peals of thunder 



208 



CALIFORNIA. 



on several occasions since the Winter rains, one as 
late as Jnne and — I am not keeping a meteorological 
record, and so may be mistaken — another in July. 

Happening to be seated beside a window over- 
looking the Los Angeles Valley, picturesque with 
its groves of eucalypti and orange trees in the dis- 
tance, I turned my eyes toward the sea after the 
tones rolled through the heavens. Sure enough ! 
there were unmistakable signs of a shower, and soon 
down came the welcome rain, delighting every body. 
Even the little birds were gleeful. Shortly then, 
uprose the sweet odors from the ground, the flowers, 
and trees. The dust nicely laid, the dark cloud 
swept off northward, hovering awhile over the sum- 
mits of the San Fernando Mountains, and flashing 
out its crooked ribbons of fire. 

"When he uttereth his voice there is a multi- 
tude of waters in the heavens." "He maketh 
lightnings with rain and bringeth forth the wind 
out of his treasures." 




XXV. 

fl CQlNISTEI^ TO TPHB LtOWLIESfn. 



THE present Summer has witnessed a notable 
revival of interest in the early Spanish mis- 
sions of Alta California. The feeling has been con- 
fined chiefly within the State, and particularly to 
the Catholic portion of the citizens, though some 
concern has been evinced beyond the border lines. 
The cause of this revival was the recurrence, on 
August 28th, of the one hundredth anniversary of 
their founder, the Rev. Junipero ,Serra, D. D. 

For many weeks prior to that date the corre- 
spondents of the Pacific Coast newspapers were 
busy searching the archives and records of that 
early period ; visiting the seats of the various mis- 
sions; writing eloquent descriptions of their former 
wealth and present decay, and catechising the oldest 
living Spaniards, as well as the earliest pioneer 
Americans, for the purpose of bringing to light all 
the history of these stations and of their distin- 
guished superintendent. 

How mueii of permanent, practical good resulted 
from the labors of this man among the wild Indian 
tribes whom he and his assistants found peopling 

209 



210 CALIFORNIA. 

this coast, and whom they subjugated in the name 
of the gospel and of the king of Spain, only a 
careful and impartial consideration of his methods, 
and of their immediate and later fruits, can deter- 
mine. Certain it is, that viewed from this distance 
of time, and in the light of the fact that the tribes 
began to waste away almost from the hour the effort 
was inaugurated, those fifty or sixty years of Cath- 
olic attempt at uplifting and Christianizing the un- 
tutored race, form not a very satisfactory chapter 
in the history of civilization. 

Nevertheless, the entire history of the period 
attests the fact that the Padre Junipero Serra him- 
self ardently desired to be a true missionary of the 
cross and messenger of blessing to the rude red 
man. And if his work failed at all of the ends he 
sought, it should be attributed most to the methods 
and the paralyzing genius of the ecclesiastical 
power to which he was responsible. The eminent 
man lacked neither love for the Indian nor devotion 
to his work. This, all Californians concede, regard- 
less of sect or creed. And unquestionably it was 
in reference to him, as a man who desired the good 
of the lowest of his race, and not as a priest of the 
Catholic Church, that the citizens of the State, 
rather generally, were interested in the step to honor 
his memory. His name is inseparable from the 
early history of California, and in his personal 
record is the attraction of a spirit of great self- 



.1 MINISTER OF THE UnVLIFST. 211 

denial. For those reasons I take notice of this 
])assing movement. 

Junipero Serra was a native of the Island of 
Majorca, Spain, having been born November 24, 
1713. He was small in stature, of feeble constitu- 
tion, and "possessed a great love for books." Re- 
ligiously inclined, he at the early age of seventeen 
applied to the order of Franciscans for membership. 
A year later he was admitted to full companionship 
in the fraternity, and addressed himself to the study 
of theology and philosophy, soon excelling as a 
teacher of these subjects. Immediately, also, he 
became celebi-ated as a pulpit orator, but, indifferent 
to the applause of city communities, he craved the 
privilege of preaching the gospel to the peasantry, 
especially desiring to minister to any who had never 
heard its conditions. 

With this object in view he sailed for the New 
World, from Cadiz, August 28, 1749, and entered 
Mexico on New-Year's Day, 1750. Beginning 
missionary labors at once, and with great ardor, his 
name quickly became known in the Catholic Church 
of Mexico. After seventeen years of service in 
tliat part of the country, he was appointed president 
of the fifteen missions then existing in the Penin- 
sula of California, and which had been founded by 
the Order of Jesuits, whom the government had 
just expelled. Here Serra found a field as needy, 
a people as abject, as he could wish for his training 



212 



CALIFORNIA. 



hand. It proved a territory far more difficult to 
cultivate than any the scholarly prelate had known, 
and in the course of time it was turned over to the 
Dominicans. Then, himself and sixteen subordi- 
nates set out on a missionary tour among the 
heathen tribes of Alta California. 




Ruins of Mission Chur3h, San Diego. 

Reaching the point on the coast where to-day 
stands the city of San Diego, seventeen miles north 
of the present frontier of Mexico, he there estab- 
lished, July 16, 1769, the first of the series of 
twenty-one missions embraced in what is now the 
State of California. The last of the series, that of 
San Francisco de Solano, was erected August 25, 
1823. Ten years later this mission invoiced its 
possessions as follows: "Indian converts, fifteen 



A MfNISTEli OF TIIK LOWIAF.^T. 21o 

hundred; cattle and Iidi'ses, tliir(y-five hundied ; 
goats and hogs, four thousand; fruits and ^rain, 
three thousaud bushels. Nineteen years afterward, 
or in 1842, tliorc were, it is said, but sovenl y Indians 
amenable to this mission. 

From San Diego, whose mission church still 
stands, unroofed, with its walls crumbling to ruin, 
Father Serra moved northward to the lovely bay of 
Monterey. Plere, June 3, 1770, he planted his sec- 
ond station, at the head of that sheet of water. 
Twelve months later the mission was transferred to 
the beautiful Carmelo Valley, some five miles down 
the coast from Monterey. Here, in time, rose a 
church edifice, a house for the priests, and barracks 
for the mission's handful of military protectorsr 
These were all built of wood, and with the excep- 
tion of the church, were covered with tules. The 
latter was roofed simply with earth. 

From Carmelo it is claimed that Serra explored 
the coast as far northward as the fifty-lifth parallel, 
taking possession, "in the name of the Church and 
the King of Spain," of all the territory comprised 
in California, Oregon, and Washington. Returning 
to the mission on -the Little Carmelo River he there 
filled up the remainder of his days with self-denying 
labors among the surrounding Indian tribes; and 
there, greatly lamented by the simple-minded na- 
tives to whom he had faithfully ministered, he 

breathed his last, just one hundred years ago. 

19 



214 CALIFORNIA. 

By his special request, his remains were interred 
"in the sanctuary of the church, on the gospel side 
of the altar." In the progress of years this build- 
ing fell into decay, and was replaced by a structure 
of stone, erected on the same site, and covering 
the cherished remains of Junipero Serra. In turn 
this edifice also lapsed into ruin ; and it is the 
question of its restoration which has this Summer 
drawn all Catholic eyes toward the little city of 
Monterey. 

Recalling that the centennial of the great mis- 
sionary's death was imminent, the pastor of the 
Catholic Church, at Monterey, " was moved early 
in the season to ask all Californians, irrespective of 
creed or color, to show respect to the man's mem- 
ory, by handsomely restoring the ruin which had 
so long served as a monument over his grave." 
The newspapers took up his appeal; talked elo- 
quently of the self-denying spirit of Padre Junipero 
Serra; of his manifold services to California and 
to its aboriginal tribes; of the fact that most of the 
missions he planted are well on the way to decay, 
and urged that the church at Carmelo should, out 
of gratitude, be preserved. The many Spaniards, 
Mexicans, and other Catholics of the coast were 
much aroused by these pleas, and contributed liber- 
ally to the object. Other citizens of the State also 
aided the cause generously. 

Sufficient enthusiasm having been awakened to 



.1 }frxrSTER OF THE LOWLIEST. 21o 

insure success, the work of renovation began, and in 
good time was completed. On the 28th of August, 
1884, the old-new monument church was blessed 
with the customary Catholic ceremonial, many dig- 
ifitaries of the Church being present, as were sonic 
State officials, and a large concourse of other per- 
sons. The ceremonies were of both a civic and 
religious character. 

The renewal of the building was effected at a 
cost of sixteen thousand dollars, and now presents 
a curious mingling of ancient and modern archi- 
tecture and decoration. The structure really serves 
the double purpose of a house of worship and a 
mausoleum. Upon the hearts of the Catholics the 
spot has a great hold. Through his whole life, I 
believe, Junipero Serra was a subject of great per- 
sonal suffering, rendering his work all the more 
arduous. Certain it is that most of his days in 
California were passed in physical agony, which was 
partly the result of a frail constitution, and partly 
the fruit of exposure in founding .the missions. 

Of the twenty-one missions planted in U])per 
California, nine are said to have been established 
by Serra in person. These were, besides the two 
already named, that of San Juan Capistrano, the 
first station north of San Diego ; that of San Ga- 
briel, lying twelve miles east of Los Angeles, in one 
of the garden spots of Soulhcrn California; that of 
San Bucna Ventura near the sea-board, twenty-seven 



216 



CALIFORNIA. 



miles south of Santa Barbara; that of Santa Barbara 
itself — if I remember correctly — one of the richest 
of the series; that of San Antonio, located on the 




* Ruins, San Juan Capistrano. 

bank of a fine stream .'^ome miles from Soledad ; 
that of San Luis Obispo, in the heart of the town 
of that name, and that of Santa Clara, three miles 
from San Jose, the largest and best preserved of the 
entire list, and once surrounded by vast productive 
acreg. The church of San Juan Capistrano is de- 
scribed as a splendid ruin. It was demolished by an 



.1 }frxisTp:R TO THE LowrjEST. 217 

earthquake one morning while moss was being cele- 
brated, and the building was thronged with wor- 
shipers. Thirty persons lost their lives, and many 
more were injured. Services have always been held 
in one of its little chapels. " A priest resides there, 
and ekes out a scanty living by renting some of the 
crumbling rooms." 

Establishing the mission of San Buena Ventura 
was Padre Serra's last work in extending the realm 
of the Catholic Church. Twenty-eight montlis 
later, at Carmelo, he entered upon his final sleep. 
The Ventura mission was founded March 31, 
1782, with jurisdiction over fifteen hundred square 
miles of territory. Before the sequestration of the 
missions it had acquired large possessions in flocks 
and herds. 

" The dominant idea in that really imposing 
missionary mov'ement/' said a gentleman yesterday, 
who, though not a Catholic, has through a long life 
been closely associated with members of that body, 
and has observed its methods of extending its 
power, "was, that within the period of one genera- 
tion at most, whole tribes of the rude, idol-worshiping 
Indians could, under the teachings of the Church, 
the influence of the priests, and the restraints of 
the Spanish soldiery, be transformed into perma- 
nently civilized and Christianized societies. It was 
believed they could then be left to ])ursue works 
of piety and arts of peace under a civil adminis- 



218 CALIFORNIA. 

trator. The fatal defect in this reasoning was, to 
speak mildly, forgetfulness of the physiological fact 
that blood, which has been deteriorating through 
centuries of time, can not be restored to prime 
quality in the short space of forty or fifty years. 

"As might have been foreseen, the whole scheme 
was a failure. And no person who has ever written 
upon the swift decadence of these Indian missions 
has touched the real cause. This, unquestionably, 
was their sequestration by the Mexican government. 
The moment the supreme control which the mis- 
sionary fathers exercised over the neophytes of 
their respective stations was superseded by the rule 
of secular administrators, that moment the majority 
of the Indians left the missions and returned to the 
haunts of their ancestors, or sought employment on 
the ranchos of citizens friendly to them. Evej'y 
attempt made between 1830 and 1840 to convert 
the neophytes into free and property-holding citi- 
zens, as was done in several important instances, 
proved miserable failures. The Indians soon 
showed that they had not acquired the power 
to retain the property left in their hands, nor to 
obtain more. It was the purpose of the Mexican 
government to leave in the hands of the converts 
all the land and other property belonging to the 
missions, as an outfit at the beginning of their self- 
governing career. But in a brief time the immense 
wealth of the stations was irrevocably scattered." 



XXVI. 

FJosES— Pampas Gf^ass— ©he Datui^a 

fll^BOI^EA. 



ONE of the chief attractions of Southern Cali- 
fornia is its ceaseless production of beautiful 
flowers. Some of those which bloom the year round 
have a special season of efflorescence — a time when 
they reach their maximum of abundance and beauty. 
If I might select a single flower of which this is 
true, I should name the rose. The month of May is 
pre-eminently the rose period of the year, although 
there is never a day without them, and never a 
dearth of them. 

A walk at evening, during this month, through 
some of the streets of Los Angeles inevitably brings 
to mind an enchanting story about the Vale of Cash- 
mere, which I read in my childhood, in the State 
of New York. It was the power of contrast which 
made the story produce its inefiiiceable impression 
upon my mind. I read it in midwinter. The 
snow covered tlie high rail fence which lined the 
public road leading to the country school which I 
attended. I walked to school on the crest of those 
snow-drifts. I read it before a great fire made of 

hickory logs, which snapped and hissed merrily in 

219 



220 CALIFORNIA. 

the big fire-place. The heat from it burned my 
round face, and warped the leather covers of the 
book. But I was wandering in a land flooded with 
sunshine, full of bloom, and breathing air laden 
with perfume, I wondered if the story were true; 
if I should ever see a land so fair ; should smell 
roses so fragrant. Happily for my faith in that 
book, I now see roses as beautiful, breathe air 
as highly scented as ever floated over the sweet 
Vale of Cashmere. 

On my way to Presbyterian prayer-meeting on 
Wednesday evenings I pass a beautifully kept 
ground, in M'hich bloom, probably, a dozen varie- 
ties of roses. Among them are the Safrano, the 
Solfaterre, the bright Sanguinea, and the delicious 
Marechal Neil, besides five or six pink varieties, 
whose exquisite odor no language can describe. 
Climbing higher than any of the others, is the ele- 
gant La marque, pouring into the atmosphere from 
hundreds of blossoms a delightful perfume. 

If I am alone, the moment I approach that yard 
I begin to walk slowly, and to take in great 
draughts of the fragrant air. When opposite some of 
the bushes I stand still, inhale the odor, and try to 
think what the perfume of flowers is. I recall all the 
words which have any aroma in them, and neither 
singly nor together do they express what I want to 
know. So I walk on, wishing it were a mile to the 
church, and that elegant roses lined all the way. 



nosES. 221 

Yesterday aftcM-iK^on an errand took me tlirough 
Lower Third Street to Main. On one side stands a 
fine residence in the midst of" trees and fiowers. At 
the right of the entrance were a half-dozen rose- 
trees, four or five feet in height. The flexible 
branches bent under their burden of bloom. The 
warm air was dense with the mingled odors of the 
flowers. Separating this yard from its neighbor 
was a high fence. Over the top of it for many feet, 
down both its sides, and up among the branches of 
a cypress and another tree standing near, climbed 
a luxuriant Lamarque and a magnificent Cloth of 
Gold, both a mass of flowers, large and very double. 
It was a sight to make one stop and look. 

In the adjoining yard was a cottage finished, with 
a veranda across the front.' Up the pillars of the 
veranda, and over its roof the whole length, ran 
another Lamarque and a rich IMarechal Neil. The 
result was a dense surface, from three to four feet 
wide by forty feet long, probably, of pure white 
and soft yellow flowers, the whole forming the most 
beautiful display of living roses I had ever seen. In 
the yard stood a Safrano rose-tree, five or more feet 
in height, and canopied with blossoms of matchless 
scent. Iniagine those yards, that fence, that ve- 
randa! What a place for intoxicating the senses! 
What a pity that the Chinese — Americans, too — do 
not smoke rose-leaves! 

It is quite customary on the Coast to compel 



222 CALIFORNIA. 

rose-bushes to grow in the form of small trees. 
The effect is very pretty. At the top of a slender 
trunk shoot out a multitude of short branches, 
forming a canopy about the size of a sun-umbrella. 
Here the vitality centers, and, per consequence, the 
sprays are lavish in bloom. At the same time, the 
strength of the tree is well husbanded, for the mo- 
ment a rose begins to fade it is removed, if the 
gardener does his duty. 

Not far from where I write, is a rose tree, with 
trunk as large around as my arm. The first 
branches are some six feet above the ground, and 
are trimmed to present a flat surface to the sky. 
The effect is an even plane of delicate salmon-colored 
roses — a novelty even in Southern California. 

A very charming class of roses to be seen here 
are the Banksias. There are three varieties, white, 
pink, and yellow, all bountiful bloomers and ex- 
ceedingly fragrant. The blossoms are about the 
size of a large daisy, and usually are very double. 
They grow with astonishing rapidity. When riding 
into the country with a friend not long ago, she 
suddenly exclaimed, "Just look!" 

Her object was to call my attention to a white 
banksia, which had climbed into the feathery top 
of a tall cypress, and then thrust its slender sprays 
all through the green boughs, so that they fell 
toward the ground on the side next the street, like 
a veil of snow. That, too, was a very striking sight. 



ROSES. 223 

Among the flowers which diifiise a fine perfume 
at night, as well as during the day, are the carna- 
tions, the orange blossoms, and the large, white, 
funnel-shaped blossoms of the Datura Arborea, a 
native of Peru and Columbia. The flowers consist 
of two corollas, one dropped within the other, as 
we would place a small funnel within a larger one. 
Both are ruffled slightly at the mouth, and remind 
one of the calla lily, but are far more delicate in 
texture. They hang pendulous from the branches 
of the trees, and. will average nine inches in length. 
A number of the blossoms given me recently, meas- 
ured twelve inches. I pass a Datura daily on my 
way to the post-office. From the lower branches, 
which strike out nearly at right angles from the 
trunk, depend a myriad of white, waxy-looking 
funnels. The fragrance from them never fails to 
send my imagination off on a trip to the Orient. 

The carnations have a remarkably aromatic per- 
fume which I have failed to notice in the pinks 
of the East. Nine handsome varieties flower be- 
neath my windows, which are opened all night to 
let the breath of the beauties come in. What a 
sense of luxury they impart, perfuming one's very 
sleep ! 

Pampas plumes, the regal blossoms of the Gy- 
nerium Argenteum, made their appearance in the 
East but a few years ago. They were not then the 
article of commerce they now are. Usually they 



224 CALIFORNIA. 

were seen only in homes where some member of the 
family had wandered away to this coast, and coming 
upon the elegant plant, had sent home one or two 
of the graceful flowers to adorn the best room. I 
well remember the first time I saw them. Three 
of the stately plumes drooped from a large vase in 
a friends' parlor. They were broad and heavy, with 
a rich cream color next the long stem, and a silver 
hue at the edges. They had a sort of royal look, 
as has a long ostrich plume. 

The silver gynerium is a native of the pampas 
of Southern Brazil and lower plains of South Amer- 
ica, where its appearance is very showy. As now 
cultivated in Southern California, it rivals the plant 
on its original prairies. Perhaps I can sketch the 
product for the reader. Imagine immense tufts of 
long, narrow, tough, finely saw-edged, green leaves, 
all sharply reflexed at the middle, and rising from 
the center of the tufts, fifty or one hundred splendid 
plumes or blossoms, averaging from two to three 
feet in length, and swaying from the top of slender 
stems twelve or fourteen feet in height. This paints 
you pampas grass as it may be seen here early in 
September, the time for harvesting the flowers, if 
I mistake not. 

Heretofore Santa Barbara, ninety miles further 
north, has had the pre-eminence in the cultivation 
of this splendid plant. The climate being almost 
tropical, like that of Los Angeles, many foreign 



PAMPAS GRASS. 



225 



jM-oducts, native to such latitudes, flourish there 
finely. This year, however, the florists of this city 
luive rivaled it in the production of the gyncrium. 




Agave Axaerioajiua— " Tiie Century Plant." 

The blossoms of the Los Angeles seedling variety 
are the finest known on the coast. They are of a 
rich cream tint at the center, very feathery through- 
out, and measure from twenty-four to thirty-six 
inches in length. It is the unusual breadth of the 
flowers which distinguishes this variety. 



226 CALIFORNIA. 

OTHER GYNERIUMS. 

It is said that the great conservatories of Bel- 
gium grow not only the gyneriuni of this coast, but 
also some other varieties, the leaves of which are 
very handsome, being striped with white or yellow. 
It is doubtful, though, if these grasses belong to the 
same family as the Brazilian pampas. Very proba- 
bly they belong to the Eulalia group, grasses Avhich, 
in this country, are very effective in lawn ornamen- 
tation. In one variety bars of white cross the 
leaves, adding immensely to the beauty of the plant. 

A fairly ornamental plant, possessing marked 
pampas characteristics, is produced now by eastern 
florists. It is a member of the Erianthus family, 
and like the true gynerium, may be propagated from 
the seed, or by dividing the root. The flower stems 
shoot up to a height of eight or ten feet, and the 
blossom makes a great effort to equal the plumes 
of the latter. 

The South American pampas craves water. The 
result of liberal hydropathic treatment in its cul- 
ture may be seen at a florist's on Los Angeles Street. 
One side the premises are bounded by a zauga. 
through which flows a stream of muddy water from 
the irrigating reservoir. One bank of the stream 
is bordered with gigantic clumps of this plant. A 
forest of stems, topped out with regal plumes, rises 
from the midst of each. So interwoven are the 
saw-odgod leaves that to pass between the tufts is an 
impossibility. 



XXYII. 

^OMEN AS ^ULTIYATOI^S OP THE SOIL. 



ONE day in June last the writer was one of a 
dozen passengers in the "morning stage" from 
Los Angeles to Pasadena. The vehicle was not 
one of those oval-shaped, springy, swaying coaches 
which, as I fancied in my childhood, insure the 
very perfection of carriage riding, and which the 
traveler of the present day may test, should he ever 
cross the rugged Siskiyou ISIountains in one of the 
coaches of the Oregon and California stage-line, but 
was a long, four-seated conveyance, with high, 
square top and open sides. From it we could ob- 
tain a fine view of the picturesque country for miles 
around. 

The passengers were all in their seats only one- 
half hour after the time, and presently the four-in- 
hand dashed off from the cigar-store in Temple 
Block, claiming to be the head-quarters of the stage 
company. The little seven-by-nine room is by no 
means a pleasant waiting point for ladies, and I 
being usually ahead of time when setting out on 
such a jaunt, had the pleasure of seeing no end of 
money set fii'e to, in little slender rolls of tobacco, 
durintr the hour I watched for the stajre. 



228 CALIFORNIA. 

The morning was cloudy. The atmosphere was 
laden with chilling moisture, which the breeze drove 
sharply into our faces. Anywhere in the East, 
under such circumstances, an all-day rain might 
confidently have been predicted; but in Southern 
California it "never rains when it does," so we were 
not disappointed to see the mist drift away long 
before noon. Then down came the genial sunlight, 
making the earth and ourselves rejoice. 

Our road twice crossed the Arroyo Secco, a 
chatty stream flowing from the Sierra Madre. All 
around, the country was covered with wrinkles, 
like an aged face furrowed by years of care. Now 
we sped across a pretty valley, decked with vener- 
able live-oaks, ever green, and singularly effective 
in the landscape, but some of them painfully dis- 
torted in shape. Now we were borne up a long hill, 
from whose top we had a view of scenes quite 
worthy the brush which put the Yo-Seraite on 
canvas. 

Upon the seat beside me sat an intelligent lady 
from some town in Iowa. She had been on a visit 
to Elsinore, a new colony springing up, with fair 
prospects, not far from Riverside. Her husband, as 
I soon learned, was one of its projectors, and, as 
was entirely proper, she appeared to be much inter- 
ested in the sale of Elsinore lots. She quietly advised 
a young man, forming the third party on our seat, 
and evidently just catching the real-estate fever, to 



WOMEN AS CULTIVATORS OF THE SOIL. 229 

"see Elsinore before investing elsewhere in South- 
ern California." That was kind of her. The now 
town occupies a location as charraino^ as is its name, 
on the border of Elsinore Lake, where it would be 
delightful to dwell. The place has advantages all 
its own, and might exactly meet the wants and 
means of this stranger. If so, two men had been 
helped. 

.It is very noticeable how quickly bright-minded 
women from other parts of the country become 
interested, and then engaged, in real-estate transac- 
tions on this coast. It is worthy of remark, too, 
what ability they display in the business, and what 
success they achieve. Some one has said that as 
large a proportion of women as men, increase their 
fortunes by this sort of trade. They are quick to 
discern the fiivorable or unfavorable points in a piece 
of property, and seem to know when they have re- 
ceived a good offer from a purchaser. 

A friend recently informed me that of a certain 

large tract of land near the city, which was put on 

the market lately in small lots, nearly one-half the 

buyers were women ; and also, that it is not a rare 

thing for numbers of feminine speculators to attend 

the auction sales of land frequently taking place, 

and to bid quietly but intelligently for the property. 

Of the sixty-five or more women employed as 

teachers in the public schools of Los Angeles, there 

is scarcely one who is not the owner of land some- 
20 



230 CALIFORNIA. 

where in the State. Numbers of women on the 
coast — in California, in Oregon — personally super- 
intend considerable farms, the titles to which are in 
their own name. They themselves make the sales 
of the crops. In some instances they have brought 
their land up to a high figure by putting it under 
fine cultivation. Of the five women who happen to 
be at this moment in the house where I write, all 
possess land in or near the city. 

Much has been said about an educated and sen- 
sible young woman who, with her invalid father, 
resides in one of the colonies not very distant from 
Los Angeles. She is the owner of a raisin vine- 
yard of ten or more acres, every vine in which was 
planted by her own hands. The vineyard is now 
in full bearing. Every year she superintends the 
picking, curing, and packing of her crop, and makes 
her own terms with the dealers. I think she is the 
possessor also of ten acres of orange trees, in thrifty 
condition. The story goes that when the little cot- 
tage in which they live was in process of erection, 
the roof being unfinished, a severe storm threat- 
ened. This made it necessary for the father — his 
own carpenter, I presume — to have aid in the shin- 
gling. None being obtainable in the small town, 
the indomitable girl climbed to the roof, and laid 
shingles until tlie work was complete, acquitting 
herself as creditably at carpentry as she does at 
raisin- making. 



WOMEN AS CULTIVATORS OF THE SOIL. 231 

I am now obliged to add that, no sooner had 
this brave, energetic girl acqnired her pretty home, 
and become well advanced toward competency, than 
there chanced that way a Methodist minister, who, 
admiring her noble qualities, invited her to become 
his wife. And she, pleased with the idea, accepted 
the invitation, and is about to be married. 

In the same village live two sisters, young 
women from Wisconsin, who, with a widowed 
mother, came to the place but a few years ago. With 
their slender means they purchased a few acres of 
land near, and soon had growing upon it a raisin 
vineyard and an orange grove, much of the labor 
of planting them being performed with their own 
hands. ^^'llile their vines and trees were growing, 
one of tiiem, a girl rarely endowed, applied for the 
position of postmaster in the community, and re- 
ceived the appointment, " her application being in- 
dorsed by nearly every voter in the town." 

About this time the Southern Pacific Railway, 
learning that she was an accomplished telegrapher, 
gave her important employment in that occupation, 
her sister becoming her efficient deputy in the post- 
office. These young women are the daughters of a 
Congregational clergyman who died some years ago, 
and are, of course, cultured. Christian girls. Their 
womanly ways, promptness, and conscientious dis- 
charge of duty, as daughters, in the Church, in 
society, in business, have won them the good will 



232 CALIFORNIA. 

and respect of all parties. As a result of economy 
and judicious investments in real estate, their com- 
bined fortune now, at the close of about five years, 
amounts to some sixteen thousand dollars. 

We are now well on the way to Pasadena. Sud- 
denly the four-in-hand wheel into a flower-bordered 
drive-way on our right. Then comes to view a trim 
little cottage crowning one of the " wrinkles." Now 
out of the front door-way bound two or three young 
children, shouting "Mamma!" After them comes 
a babe in somebody's arms. The place was the 
homo, these were the children, of the lady from 
Elsinore. Ourselves happy over the welcome she 
received, we bade her adieu, turned back to the 
main road, and began climbing Hermosa Vista Hill, 
one of the sightliest eminences in all this picturesque 
region, and, as has been said in a previous chapter, 
the seat of a college for young men. 

The summit gained, a short time brought us 
into Orange Grove Avenue, the finest street in 
Pasadena. Throughout its entire length vineyards, 
orange groves, inviting grounds, and comfortable 
abodes grace both sides. Speeding on a couple of 
miles, we at last turned into the broad, arched gate- 
way at Carmelita, the beautiful home of Dr. Ezra 
S. Carr and his family. Here the stage left the 
writer for a twenty-four hours' sojourn. As we 
wound through the drive-way to the iiouse, we no- 
ticed among the great variety of choice trees in the 



WOMEX AS CULTIVATORS OF THE SOIL. 233 

groijiuls, cedars from Lebanon, India, Norway, Ore- 
gon, and the Norfolk Islands; also, the maple, but- 
ternut, mulberry, palm, bamboo, several species 
of eucalypti — natives of Australia — and the sturdy 
sequoia, of Calaveras stock, with other home and 
foreign trees. 




The Sierra Hadra Yilla. 

Carmelita is intended to suggest not only the 
name of its proprietor, but also Mount Carmel, in 
Syria. Naturally it calls up the days of Elijah, and 
the scenes of the august miracle which took place 
■>in that summit, with its attendant human slaughter. 



234 CALIFORNIA. 

The cottage, framed in with flowers and vines, occu- 
pies the crown of a long descent toward the east. 
In the foreground, on that side, stands an apricot 
orchard in splendid condition. Beyond that, a part 
of the lovely village comes into the picture. Far- 
ther away, stretches the rich San Gabriel Valley. 
On the left, three miles distant, rise the stately 
Sierra Madre Mountains. Thus are brought into 
the beautiful panorama the extremes of scenery. 
Walking abotii the perfect grounds at Carmelita to- 
day, noting the scope of the improvements on every 
hand, it is difficult to persuade one's self that seven 
years have sufficed to produce fruit and forest 
trees of such magnitude; and still more diffi- 
cult to believe the whole is the result of one little 
woman's effort. 

Seven years ago — this account was penned in 
1884 — Doctor Carr and his family were living in 
the city of Sacramento, himself being the State 
Superintendent of Public Instruction. With health 
impaired by forty years of arduous labor in educa- 
tional fields, he was admonished that a retreat where 
rest could be assured, would soon become a neces- 
sity. This led to the purchase of the forty acres 
now constituting Carmelita. They were then a 
mere barren waste. Not a furrow had ever been 
turned upon them. Soon after they were acquired 
Mrs. Carr left her home in Sacramento, came to 
Pasadena, set men to breaking up the soil on this 



PASADENA. 235 

place, built a temporary habitation for hor family, 
laid out those now beautiful grounds, and from that 
time, with great energy, earried forward her im- 
provements. At that time Mrs. Carr was the As- 
sistant State Superintendent of the Public Schools 
of California. For years she had been associated 
with her husband in educational work. 

On many occasions during this period had 
women of culture and ability sought her advice, 
with reference to earning a livelihood for them- 
selves. In reply she had often urged the obtaining 
a support from the soil, in some one of the many 
pleasant departments of horticulture possible in 
California. Most, if not all of them, had lacked 
the courage to make the attempt. In the develop- 
ment of her forty acres, therefore, she determined 
to furnish them a practical illustration of the views 
she had advocated. And, to-day, Carmelita, with 
its many different lines of production, is her noble, 
self-denying answer to a multitude of women 
desirous of learning how they may support them- 
selves, and provide something for the future. 

Mrs. Carr has endeavored to exemplify what a 
woman may accomplish on a few acres of land in 
one, two, three, and four years, with much or with 
little capital. The particulars of her effort are as 
interesting as useful, but must be excluded from 
this volume. Suffice it to say that Carmelita is, in 
many of its departments, a splendid object-lesson for 



236 CALIFORNIA. 

women having families of children to support. It 
is a favorite project in the mind of Mrs. Carr to 
some day convert Carmelita into a State school of 
horticulture for women. May she live to do it! 

Of Pasadena itself all the world has heard ; how 
attractive it is; how delightfully situated, at the 
head of the fair San Gabriel Valley; and how, in 
the space of a few swift years, it sprang from a 
desert state into square miles of vineyards and 
orchards of all kinds. It is the gem of Southern 
California towns, and will long remain such. Tour- 
ists can find no lovelier place to winter in. But 
the man of limited means, seeking a home there 
for his family, would be shut out by the high price 
of land. 

A little farther away down the valley stands the 
notable Sierra Madre Villa, a view of which adorns 
a preceding page. The praise of its situation, and 
of its delights as a resort, have been heralded all 
over the Union. Very seldom does a tourist to 
Los Angeles omit this villa, or Pasadena, from his 
trip. Immediately back of the premises rise the 
frowning summits of the Sierra Madre Mountains. 
Gracing the long broad slope in front of the build- 
ing are shining ordnge-groves and thrifty vineyards. 
From its tower are to be seen leagues of the 
charming vale of San Gabriel, a spot more or less 
highly cultivated for a century past. 



xxvrn. 
San I^bdi^o. 



SAN PEDRO is a name one hears daily in South- 
ern California. Every traveler, bound up or 
down the coast by sea, and desiring to reach Los 
Angeles, must enter the place via San Pedro. Or, 
being already in the thriving metropolis, and wish- 
ing to journey by water to any point along the 
shore, it is San Pedro which opens the door and 
lets him out. To a great extent Australian coal- 
fields furnish the citizens (if Los Angeles their fuel. 
But it can glow on their hearths only after a hand- 
some fee for lighterage has been paid this town. 

San Pedro is the sea-port of Los Angeles 
County, and is therefore a place of some impor- 
tance, though but a mere hamlet in size. I had 
spent thirteen months in this part of the State, and 
had not seen the locality. So one morning last 
week, a very dear friend accompanying me, I deter- 
mined to make the southward run to the sea. 
Accordingly, at half-past nine o'clock we were at the 
Commercial Street depot, in Los Angeles, waiting 
for the train. Every morning about that hour 
four trains halt there, bound to as many different 

parts of the country. The small waiting-room was 
21 ' 287 



238 CALIFORNIA. 

crowded with travelers, collected from every quarter 
of the city. Outside, under the extended roof of 
the building, were congregated nearly as many more, 
Americans, Mexicans, Germans, Italians, Chinese, 
and negroes, the same incongruous assembly one sees 
on all such occasions in any of these coast towns. 

It was interesting to watch them. They were 
doing almost as many different things as there were 
persons — reading, talking, calculating with a pencil, 
entering memoranda in note-books, buying tickets, 
changing mon(!y, moving baggage, studying the 
costumes of the women. One man, with fiery red 
hair, a hard, freckled face, and an expression of the 
eye which made one feel sick and turn away, seated 
himself directly opposite us, and immediately 
opened a small bag filled with Muscat grapes, which 
he began to devour greedily. Seeds, pulp, and 
tough skin were relished alike. No wonder the 
man's face wore both a pale and painful look. That 
was one of nature's punishments for his lack of 
obedience to her laws. He deserved it. 

Just as our train appeared in sight, far down 
Alameda Street, a fruit-vender drove up in front of 
the station, with a load of pomegranates, the first I 
had seen in California, The fruit was about the 
shape and size of the common quince, of a golden, 
yellow c^olor on one side, and rose-tinted on the 
other. Inside the pomegranate is filled with bright, 
red seeds, nearly flat, and as large as those of 



SAN PEDRO. 



239 



a small watermelon. Filled in between them is 
the pleasant, sweetish, cooling pulp, so grateful to 
the taste in warm Asiatic climates. The pomegran- 
ate is cultivated with success in this section of the 




The Pomegranate 



State, and in increasing fpiantities. To what use 
it is put, except the making of refreshing drinks, 
and eating out of hand, I have not learned. I 
admired the sample handed me by my friend, for 
its beauty, and regarded it with interest, on ac- 
count of its Bible associations; but upon trying to 
eat it, concluded ihat an orange, an apricot, or a 



240 CALIFORNIA. 

banana were ever so much more agreeable to my 
taste. 

"Let us take seats in the last car," said Mrs. 
H — , as we stepped aboard the train, "for from the 
rear door we can obtain a view of the whole coun- 
try, and that is what you want." 

To that part of the train, therefore, we betook 
ourselves, and soon were speeding through the 
suburbs of the city, with acres of vineyards, orange 
groves, walnut and apricot orchards, bounding the 
track on either side. The charm of these fruit 
fields continued for five or six miles out. Then 
the scene changed, and we flitted past a succession 
of extensive ranchos. Around the residences upon 
them rose small forests of eucalypti, planted as 
much for effect in the landscape as for protection 
against the sun and wind. The eucalyptus is the 
tree of Southern California for elegance and style, 
unless the dracoena or fan-palm are its rivals in 
these respects. As unlike as possible in height, 
form, and foliage, they all are extremely, though 
differently, effective in expansive grounds. Each 
studied as it deserves, awakens lofty thoughts. The 
springs of poetry are in all of them. Though seen 
every day, they are the same impressive objects. 
One never tires of them. In that happy day when 
" all the trees of the field shall clap their hands," 
may the eucalyptus, dracoena, and fan-palm help 
make the music ! 



SAN PEDRO. 241 

Again the panorama changes, and we have a 
vision of broad, bare, brown hills, slopes, and levels, 
off westward; but toward the south a picture of 
smooth water, blue as the cloudless sky over our 
heads. It is San Pedro Bay. Now we rumble 
into Wihnington, situnted at the head of tide-water 
on Wilmington Bay, or " the inner harbor," as it 
is often called, and five miles from the anchorage 
of the great ocean ships and steamers. It is ap- 
proaching eleven o'clock in the morning, and the 
tide is now in, making the little place look attract- 
ive with its foreground of shimmering sea. But 
wait until we return this afternoon, then we shall 
find it high and dry on the edge of a long stretch 
of wet marsh and mud. In 1882 an act of Congress 
established the "customs district of Wilmington," 
making the place the port of entry for Southern 
California, and Hueneme, Santa Barbara, and San 
Buena Ventura its ports of delivery. The young 
town has a fair prospect of growth. 

But it is the grand old ocean itself we desire to 
see, and so we continue our ride three miles and a 
half over a row of piles standing deep in water to 
San Pedro, close to the sea, but sheltered from the 
furious north-west winds by a high bluff on the 
right, and commandiug a magnificent view of the 
outer bay, the roadstead, and that "classic mound" 
at the mouth of the harbor, called Dead Man's 
Island. 



242 CALIFORNIA. 

The bay of San Pedro sets up into the mainland 
from the Pacific in a north-easterly direction, and 
from east to west is three and one-half miles wide. 
Back from its shores some distance lie the flourish- 
ing towns of Orange, Tustin, Santa Ana, and 
Westminster. While hugging the water's edge, 
almost due east of San Pedro, can be discerned 
" Long Beach," a new Summer resort iu high favor 
among lovers of sea-side pleasures throughout all this 
region. And away to the southward thirty-five 
miles, out of sight, stand the interesting ruins of the 
old mission of San Juan Capistrano. 

Our train drawing up alongside the dock of the 
Pacific Coast Steamship Company, we tarried a few 
moments to see our fellow passengers, most of whom 
were bound up the coast, embark on board the 
transport which was to convey them off to the great 
steamer Santa Rosa, anchored in the roadstead, and 
pouring from her tall, black pipes columns of dense 
smoke into the pure salt-scented air. Then turn- 
ing away we walked up the beach a half-mile or 
less, to Timras' Point, where stand the pleasant 
home of Captain Timms, once the owner of six 
thousand acres adjoining the point, a cottage occu- 
pied by a Prfesbyterian minister and his family, from 
Pasadena, and those of one or two other parties 
who had come to the spot for a new lease of life. 
Seated on the porch of the captain's cottage, and 
looking southward we had an extended view of the 



SAN PEDRO. 243 

sea and outer bay. In the harbor, besides the Santa 
Rosa, hiy a number of hirge merchant ships — five 
of them English — which had come in freighted with 
coal from Australia, and having discharged their 
cargoes, were loading with wheat grown in the Ca- 
hucnga, Los Angeles, and San Gal)riel Valleys. 
Both these commodities were conveyed, the one 
from, the other to, the ships by transports at great 
expense. Upon every ton of coal from Australia, 
unladed at the port, the government receives a duty 
of seventy-five cents. 

From Dead Man's Island, at the very mouth of 
the harbor and just in front of the cottage, there 
stretches to Rattlesnake Island, a low, sandy reach 
of land in the northern part of the outer bay, a 
costly breakwater, one mile and a quarter in length, 
on which the government has expended three-fourths 
of a million of dollars, in order to provide a chan- 
nel of sufficient depth to float up to the docks at 
San Pedro the largest ocean vessels. As yet the 
work proves but a partial success, and there are 
persons who openly assert that the object can never 
be attained with the breakwater in its present posi- 
tion. Some distance from Timms' Point, on the 
west, a head of land makes out into the ocean, from 
which, it is said, if the defense had been constructed 
to Dead Man's Island, a harbor would have been 
secured capacious and deep enough to have admitted 
all the shipping likely to visit the port at any one 



244 CALIFORNIA. 

time. As it is, the north-west wind, which almost 
talks around these points, drives the sand into the 
channel, necessitating constant dredging to preserve 
a passage that will admit lumber vessels and steamers 
of* ordinary size. The last Congress appropriated 
$75,000 to continue the improvement of the harbor. 
Captain Timms proved to be an old sailor, who 
possessed a bountiful experience of ocean life and 
hardships, besides a fund of knowledge of foreign 
countries. By birth he is a Prussian. In 1844 
he entered the American merchant-marine service, 
while a mere youth, remaining four years. Then 
he accompanied the benevolent-hearted master of 
some ship, to his home in Portland, Maine, and 
under his direction studied navigation, together with 
the rudimentary branches of an English education. 
In 1849, leaving New York as the mate of a vessel, 
he came to the Pacific Coast, made an attempt at 
mining, met with no success, and disliking the 
business, went to San Francisco, and engaged 
with certain shipping firms of that city to act as 
their agent in San Pedro. Hither he came in 1852, 
bidding sailor life a lasting farewell, and estab- 
lishing himself as a commission merchant, or general 
business man of the region. Here, in sight of the 
sea, with the woman who came, a young girl, from 
the far-oif home land, to marry him, he has lived 
thirty-four years. The captain's house is built 
partly upon a government transport, which, during 



SAN PEDRO. 245 

the war with Mexico in 1846, steamed into this bay- 
freighted with troops bound for Los Angeles to re- 
enforce General Kearney, then in command there. 
After the soldiers disembarked the vessel parted 
her chains in a storm and went ashore under the 
bluff on our right. Sometime subsequently she was 
floated into the harbor for repairs, but was con- 
demned instead. About this date Captain Timms 
was meeting with some opposition from the Mexi- 
cans of the vicinity, who did not relish his move- 
ments for jiermanent settlement among them. So, 
wishing to avoid a collision, he erected his dwell- 
ing over the abandoned transport, holding that it 
was American territory. 

The argument was a success, and they ceased to 
molest him. All these years the wind and the 
waves have been making land in front of his home, 
and to-day the old transport lies firmly imbedded 
in sand and pebbles several rods back from its 
native element. 

"For twenty-five years after we came here," 
said the urbane captain, "we brought all the water 
we used for cooking and drinking a distance of 
three miles. Now we get it from the railway res- 
ervoir, a half-mile away." 

Dead Man's Island, just before us, and contain- 
ing less than an acre of ground, received its name, 
it is said, from the circumstance that when on the 
march towards Los Angeles, the troops above men- 



246 



CALIFORNIA. 



tioncd had an engagement with the Mexican force 
and suifered a loss of fifteen men. The bodies of 
the slain were retnrned to San Pedro and interred 
near this point. At this the natives were much 
incensed, and declared that if the bodies were not 
removed they should be thrown over the high bluff 
into the sea. Thereupon the dead were exhumed 
and re-buried on this little hillock risifig out of the 
water. 

It was in the bay of San Pedro, and on board 
the little brig Pilgrim, from Boston, while she lay 
anchored off shore, near where, to-day, float these 
seven large merchantmen, that took place that 
cruel and disgraceful flogging scene which Mr. Rich- 
ard Henry Dana so thrillingly describes in his 
"Two Years Before the Mast." Here the com- 
mander of the brig. Captain Thompson, with barely 
the shadow of a reason for his cruel deed, and with 
his own hands, punished two of his crew until their 
bodies were lacerated and dripping with blood ; 
and, as if that were torture insufficient, he imme- 
diately upon releasing them, ordered his boat low- 
ered and commanded the wounded men to bear a 
hand in rowing him to shore, three miles and a half 
distant! That barbarity occurred fifty-one years 
ago, but the memory of it lingers about this harbor 
still, and will be vividly called up by every reader 
of Mr. Dana's most interesting book who chances 
to visit San Pedro. 



SAN I'i:i)li<>. 



247 



iSiiii I'cdio lies iwdily-oiH' iiiilcH i-oiilli oC Loh 
Aii^cIf'S, <)ccii|iic.s a Hi^lilly hi(ii;i(i<Mi, is ;i |»|i;i^,iiil 
sea-fiidt! rcHorl, Ims a few liiin<li(<l iiiliaUiLiiils, (lnco 
(dmrclicH, two piihlic h(;li()(»l-li<»iiHc.s, and is (lie .soiilli- 
cni l('|-|iiiiiiis ol" (In; Soul lii'ili I'.iriHc, li.iil way. 








XXIX. 

In the Santiago (©anon. 



SOME one has said that "prisons are not the 
abodes of wicked men only." Equally true is 
it that mountain fastnesses are not the retreats of 
criminals solely. Men and women have languished 
long in cells and dungeons for no other reason 
than because they opposed wrong and approved of 
right. So have men and women spent their lives 
in secluded gorges, on lonely mountain sides, not 
because they had infringed the laws, or were hiding 
from justice, but for reasons as right as are the 
motives which lead other people to settle on plains 
or in valleys. There are persons who crave a life 
among Nature's wild scenes. The nearer her rough, 
honest heart they can get the happier they are. 
Never is her visage harsh or repellent to them. 
Marred or fair, in repose or swept by storms, it is 
beautiful. 

Nor does it follow that these lovers of Nature 
are indifferent to the affairs of the great family of 
man to which they belong. They are lovers of 
their race as well. Molinos once said: "Whoever 
wounds the Church of God wounds me." So what- 
ever concerns the human race, concerns these great- 
248 



7.V THE SANTIAGO CANON. 249 

hearted dwellers among the everlasting hills, and 
some of them manage to send down, or carry down, 
from thoir lofty nooks a vast deal of help for the 
needy world. Though themselves cabined in pure air, 




they do not forget the multitudes tented amid the 
earth's moral miasms below. Never are they the 
people to say: "What matters it to us whether men 
are blessed or wretched?" 

It is in such a mountain home, among such 
helpful people, that I pen these lines this morning. 
Or rather it is in the door-yard, seated in the shade 
of a spreading live-oak tree, through whose branches 
falls the yellow sunlight, in flickering patches, on 
the smooth, hard ground. Close by stands the tiny 



250 



CALIFORNIA. 



cottage, with its green blinds, its numerous porches 
and outer doors. Near the dwelling, supported by 
nine slender posts, is a square roofing of live-oak 
branches laid thickly together. The posts are twined 




-Si 
.J 




A Bee Farm. 

with water ivy and other climbing vines. The 
space sheltered by this canopy is the dining-room. 
In the center stands a large table, at which we have 
just taken a delicious breakfast of coifee, hot rolls, 
fresh cheese, and thick white honey from the apiary, 



IN THE SANTIAGO CANON. 251 

in sight across the creek which flows down the canon. 
For this diiiing-rooni Natnre wove the carpet. 
Disdaining cotton or wool, she made it of tlie earth, 
and took pleasure in the thought that the feet of 
men and women can never wear the staunch fabric 
thread-bare. Feet may come and feet may go, but 
that carpet will wear forever. 

Adjoining the dining-room is the kitchen, with- 
out vestige of walls. In other words, the cooking- 
stove is overarched by a glossy live-oak, the 
heavens overarching that. The short pipe is kept 
in place by an ingenious contrivance, as follows : 
Two slender poles have an end of each nailed to 
separate trees near, in such manner as to cross and 
fasten nicely just in front of the pipe, while a cross- 
])iece holds them in place back of the pipe. There 
is a twofold advantage in this arrangement. First, it 
is economical ; second, when the stove goes into the 
house, as it will at the approach of cold weather, 
it will be but the work of a moment to send 
the poles flying; then the remainder of the work 
is easy. 

Nor must it be inferred that kitchen pantries 
have been omitted in this plan for open-air house- 
keeping. Three or four cases of shelves conven- 
iently placed, some with doors, some without, one 
secured to a strong tree, another set upon a couple of 
boxes, supply every want of that character. 

The cottage stands on a mere green shelf in the 



252 CALIFORNIA. 

canon, sixteen miles from its mouth. Westvvaixl 
from it stretches a narrow plateau adorned with 
grand live-oaks, a number of them growiug in fam- 
ilies from one root. Fifteen or twenty feet back of 
the dwelling rises a steep, serai-circular wall of 
mountain, and immediately back of that a lofty 
cone towering to a height of 5,500 feet above the 
sea. Across the canon, here about six hundred feet 
wide, a second summit sends its crest toward the 
sky. Beyond and north of that stretches up cone 
after cone in noble array, while farther up the 
gorge, which narrows every rod of the distance, 
height crowns height in sublime succession. All 
around is majesty and grandeur. This is no place 
for the wicked. A fugitive from the law would be 
miserable here. Only the good and the true can 
be in harmony with these massive works of the 
Almighty. Round and about these immutable peaks 
winds Santiago Creek, washing this plateau within 
a few rods of my feet, and sending over to me, from 
among its rocks and stones, a gleeful "Good morn- 
ing." At this season of the year — October — it is a 
harmless stream; but let a characteristic Southern 
California rain descend for a week, and it would 
foam, and tumble, and revel in the midst of ruin. 

The proprietors of this delightful home, and of 
many acres of this splendid scenery, are Mr. and 
Mrs. J. E. Pleasants, both of genuine pioneer stock 
and well known amono' the old families of the coast. 



7.V THE SANTIAGO CANON. 253 

In fulfillment of a promise to visit them, made some 
weeks ago, I am now here, and am enjoying more 
than words can express the bracing mountain air, 
the songs of the birds, and the absence of all city 
sounds and voices. No wonder the Son of man 
craved the quietude of the mountains, and the rest 
of "sweet Galilee, where he so much loved to be." 
Rest, strength, and inspiration are in these heights, 
in this stream. 

Sometime in 1833 there arrived on this part of 
the coast a young man by the name of Carpenter, 
from Kentucky. He engaged in business in Los 
Angeles, acquired quite a fortune, and became the 
possessor of an extensive tract of land in the vicin- 
ity of Los Nietos, which was for many years known 
as "Carpenter's Rancho." In the course of time 
he married a young lady by the name of Domin- 
guez, a Spanish family then notable in Los Angeles 
and Santa Barbara counties. This couple were the 
parents of Mrs. Pleasants. Her early home was 
the Los Nietos rancho. Much pains was taken 
with the young lady's education, and she reached 
womanhood possessed of intelligence, broad views, 
and a kindly heart. She, of course, speaks the lan- 
guage of both her father and mother. 

The parents of Mr. Pleasants, both Americans, 
emigrated to the northern portion of the State from 
the East before there existed the faintest token of 
California's present enterprise and greatness, and at 

22 



254 CALIFORNIA. 

a period when it required great heroism to make a 
stand for a home and subsistence in that part of the 
coast. Hostile Indians and savage beasts hirked 
on every hand. At the age of twelve young Pleas- 
ants was sent down to Los Angeles to attend school 
in the family of William Wolfskill, a personal 
friend of his father, and at that time the owner of 
leagues of this Santiago Mountain chain, and of the 
fair and fertile Valley of Santa Ana spreading out 
from their base. Mrs. Wolfskill was herself a Do- 
minguez. Maria Refugio Carpenter was her rela- 
tive, and a pupil in the Wolfskill school. Years 
went by. Young Pleasants became attached to 
Southern California and to Maria Carpenter, and 
concluded to remain indefinitely. To assist him in 
carrying out this resolution, Mr. Wolfskill proposed 
his coming down into this section of the country to 
look after the flocks and herds roaming over the 
vast Wolfskill estate. 

The proposal was accepted, and soon the young 
man found himself leading an easy, fascinating kind of 
life; one strongly spiced with danger, indeed, but not 
more objectionable on that account. Mounted upon 
a fleet, intelligent horse, he rode up and down these 
wild canons, to and fro over the lonely mountains, 
back and forth on the grassy plains, day after day. 
Thus sped several years. Greater grew the charm 
of the mountains, more repulsive the thought 
of spending life in some pent-up town or city. 



JN THE SANTIAGO CAPOK 255 

Finally Maria Carpenter concluded that it would be 
pleasant to change her name. So, seven years ago, 
the two, made one, pitched their tent on this little 
green shelf in the Santiago canon; gave it the name 
of Pleasant Refuge; made it bright with books, 
pictures, and flowers, and made their lives useful, 
as well by dispensing here a delightful hospitality, 
as by heartily forwarding the interests of society in 
county and State. 

The cottage is located about three miles from 
the head of the canon. From Santa Ana, the near- 
est town, it is distant twenty-three miles, and from 
Los Angeles sixty. It is neither a hotel nor a board- 
ing-house, but the quiet home of a private family. 
And yet to the sunny nook come old and young, 
sick and well, tired and hungry, strangers and ac- 
quaintances, the simple and the gifted, all feeling 
assured of a hearty welcome. When urged, as he 
sometimes is, to convert his residence into a resort 
for the public, and take compensation for meals, 
lodging, and provender for the teams of guests, Mr. 
Pleasants always replies: 

" I can 't do that. I like to make people happy. 
Every body is welcome." 

And Mis. Pleasants, always in perfect accord 
with her husband on this point, says: "Our house 
is capable of enlarging itself to almost any size ; 
and then it is quite worth while to live to help 
people on their way," or something to that effect. 



256 CALIFORNIA. 

But not always do guests come uninvited. Some 
are welcomed out of a great love for them in the 
hearts of Mr. and Mrs. Pleasants. This is true, 
for instance, whenever Madame Modjeska, Count 
Bozenta, her husband, and their son Rudolph, come 
into this gorge for a month's recreation, as they do 
whenever their engagements call them to this part 
of the world. It may not be well known that 
Madame Modjeska and her husband, desiring that 
their son should be reared under American institu- 
tions, and become a citizen of the United States, 
left Europe permanently as they supposed, came to 
Southern California, purchased property at or near 
Anaheim, and settled down to pass the remainder 
of their days in quiet. Three years went by. The 
competency they possessed at their coming had 
taken wings and disappeared. This misfortune 
induced the gifted woman to seek the stage again. 
It is comforting to know, when you are a wanderer 
in distant lands, that only just words will be spoken 
of you by the friends from whom duty forced you 
to turn away. Such friends had Modjeska in the 
Santiago Canon, when she went out to rebuild the 
fortune wrecked in the Santa Ana Valley. 

During the Industrial Exhibition at New Or- 
leans Mr. Pleasants was commissioned by the South- 
ern California Bee Association to act as the super- 
intendent of the honey exhibit from this part of 
the State. He conveyed to the Crescent City a 



IN THE SANTIAGO CANON. 257 

complete line of honey plants native to the region, 
together v;ith a magnificent display of the product 
itself, and sample colonies of the three races of bees 
at work on the coast. Mr. Pleasants spent some 
months in New Orleans, calling the world's atten- 
tention to the fact that nowhere does there grow a 
greater variety of rich bee food, and nowhere is there 
made a finer quality of honey, than in Southern Cali- 




The Honey Makers, 

fornia. The supply of food is almost, if not quite, 
perennial, the flowers of one set of plants coming 
forward as soon as others disappear. Notable 
among them are the blossoms of the four sages — 
the white, black, silver, and hybrid; also, the wild 
sumac, wild coffee-plant, golden rod, wild alfalfa, 
wild buckwheat, and many others. These Avere 
shown mostly in a living state in New Orleans, so 
that persons interested might see how they look. 
Not only the Santiago range, but most of the 
mountains of Southern California teem with honey 
plants. The San Fernando chain is especially pro- 
lific of such growths. 



XXX. 



THE devoting a chapter of this work to a South- 
ern California floral display simply, may seem 
like an inconsiderate waste of time and space; but 
when I state that the exhibition was probably the 
most extraordinary affair of the kind that ever oc- 
curred, that fact will be received as a sufficient 
apology for inserting an acount of it. Should the 
reader, upon reaching the end of the chapter, regret 
that circumstances did not call him to Los Angeles 
last Spring, let me remind him that a similar mag- 
nificent fete will be given in that city for several 
years to come, and each will probably exceed in 
loveliness the one of which I am about to write. 
Thus opportunity will be afibrded to retrieve one's 
loss in this respect. 

Beautiful exhibitions of cut flowers and growiitg 
plants have been witnessed in Calfornia for a num- 
ber of years past. Santa Barbara has rivaled the 
coast in the elegance and magnitude of her displays, 
until Los Angeles tried her hand at the lovely labor 
in April, 18^6. Then Santa Barbara lost her pretty 
pre-eminence, and all the rest of America was 

eclipsed. The prestige then gained, quite uuex- 

i'58 



A WONDERFUL FLOWER FESTIVAL. 2^9 

pectedly to herself, Los Angeles proposes, albeit 
very conrteously, to retain. The complete success 
achieved last April is evidence that this will not 
be difi&cult to do. 

There exists in Los Angeles an organization 
whose object is, to aid poor women in the city who 
are compelled to toil for daily bread, and especially 
women who are strangers. Sincere and earnest in 
their purpose, the ladies who formed the organiza- 
tion two years ago set about ascertaining the extent 
of their field. To their surprise they found in the 
city a large number of women Avhose earnings were 
so meager as to preclude the possibility of their 
living comfortably. Not a few were young women 
in frail health, who had come to the coast from all 
parts of the country, in the hope of regaining 
strength, but lacked the means to remain long 
without some occupation. Unable to forget their 
pathetic discoveries, these women determined to 
establish a home where those whose cases appealed 
most strongly to their sympathies, should be fur- 
nished the comforts and pleasures they required, at 
very small cost. 

So, taking the name of the Flower Festival So- 
ciety, they resolved to give annually, for some time, 
a grand floral entertainment, devoting the proceeds 
to this purpose. An effort, which netted them a 
handsome sum was made in the Spring of 1885, and 
in the Autumn of that year followed an art loan 



260 CALIFORNIA. 

exhibition, which also proved a great success finan- 
cially, and at the same time a source of many-sided 
education to the public. How it was possible, even 
for women so determined, to pick up in a city no 
larger than Los Angeles, the extensive collection of 
rare, curious, and beautiful articles, many of which 
were of great interest on account of their age, his- 
tory, or intrinsic value, was a mystery. 

It was not dreamed, until the work of centrali- 
zation began, what a wealth of rich relics, curios, 
souvenirs, and heir-looms were hidden away in the 
homes of this promiscuous people. All lands had 
a share in the display. Kings, and grandees, and 
warriors, and skillful old art-workers lived again 
in the garments and ornaments, etchings, engravings, 
paintings, carvings, and books of a past day. If 
the exhibit proclaimed any thing, it was, that away 
down in this south-western corner of our country 
dwells a community possessed of taste, culture, and a 
veneration for the wonderful handicraft and head- 
craft of the human race. Families brought out for 
an airing, articles skillfully devised by savants and 
savages, priests and prisoners, all showing that, spite 
of the defaciugs of sin, man retains something, men- 
tally, of the image of God in which he was made. 

This over, the Winter was given to preparations 
for the event of the Spring. The tabernacle erected 
by the churches of Los Angeles for the meetings 
of Dr. Munhall in the Autumn, and having a capac- 



A WONDERFUL FLOWER FESTIVAL. 2G1 

ity for seating five thousand persons, was engaged 
for the occasion. The next step was to form the 
plan of the festival. And herein, as well as in its 
successful execution, was manifested the naarked 
ability of the society. The ladies determined what 
features the exhibition should comprise, besides that 
of the flowers, and placed each department in charge 
of some woman of well-known responsibility and 
executive talent, leaving her to select her own assist- 
ants, and to conduct its aifairs to the end, according 
to her own judgment. Then a gentleman who 
combined the qualifications of an architect and of 
a landscape gardener was engaged to construct the 
necessary booths, and dispose them in the building 
with a view to picturesque and landscape effects. 
Next, a list was made of the parties in the city, 
vicinity, and surrounding towns, who would with- 
out fail contribute flowers during the two weeks' 
display, and also of the kinds of flowers they would 
furnish. This known, the city and country were 
districted, and the days assigned for calling upon 
each party for its contributions. Also, committees 
were appointed to collect the flowers in each dis- 
trict on the days specified. The object of all these 
steps was to insure a sufficient supply of flowers 
to effect a complete renewal of the exhibit every 
day; and this most astonishing feat was actually 
accomplished. 

Let the reader imagine the magnitude of the 
23 



262 CALIFORNIA. 

task of replacing thousands upon thousands of 
slightly withered blossoms, in a multitude of intri- 
cate and elaborate designs, every morning before ten 
ten o'clock. Furthermore, conceive of a country 
which could yield the lovely products in such pro- 
fusion that the change could even be thought of. 
And think of the daring and energy of the women, 
who, without precedent, ventured to make the 
attempt. 

The plan inside the tabernacle embraced thirty- 
four booths. Among them were those named for 
the towns of Tustin, Orange, Santa Ana, Pasadena, 
San Gabriel, Boyle Heights, San Buena Ventura, 
and others, all of which were daily supplied with 
fresh flowers and other attractions from these com- 
munities, thus preserving their loveliness to the end. 
The Tustin booth was conspicuous for its beauty, 
being kept filled with gems of the florist's art. One 
of its marvels was a collection of pansies of every 
known color, kept daily renewed. Another was a 
miniature house, with walls of sweet alyssum, roof 
of red geraniums, and cornice of heliotrope. The 
columns of its piazza were wreated with smilax. 
The house stood on a hill-side built of geraniums. 
Leading up to the front door was a pathway paved 
with fragrant bauksia roses. Inside the lovely 
structure appeared floral designs made solidly of 
either heliotrope, banksia roses, waxy calla lillies, 
or starry margueiites, with not a wilted blossom 



A WONDERFUL FLOWER FESTIVAL. - 263 

among them during the entire exhibit. San Gabriel 
showed a representation of its old mission church, 
built of tuberoses, alyssum, geraniums, and other 
effective blooms. But the Ventura booth, with its 
source of supply at least ninety miles distant, car- 
ried off the palm for enterprise. Invoices of fresh 
flowers were dispatched from that town every after- 
noon at five o'clock, and in twenty-three hours 
were delivered at the tabernacle, fifty miles of the 
journey having been accomplished by teams and the 
remainder by rail. 

At the booth devoted to oranges, trim cones, 
cubes, and pyramids of the royal fruit vanished 
daily wuth the sun. At one or more booths exqui- 
site corsage and button-hole bouquets, with little 
fancy baskets of flowers, were retailed in great 
numbers, keeping constantly employed in their 
manufacture the deft fingers of a committee for the 
purpose. Besides these booths, a number were de- 
voted exclusively to the sale and exhibition of loose 
cut-flowers and growing plants. Here the lovely 
creations were furnished the purchaser in any form 
to suit his fancy, at any price, of any variety. This 
required no small investment in twine, tin-foil, and 
other appliances for instantly constructing hand 
bouquets. A great demand was created for the yel- 
low marigold for corsage decoration. Among roses, 
strong preference was shown for the beautiful zen- 
wood, a flower having nearly the same characteris- 



264 CALIFORNIA. 

tics as the safrano, except that its color is a 
shrimp pink. 

How general, and how warm, was the interest 
taken in the fete itself, as well as in its object, is 
apparent from the facts given, and from the time 
and labor devoted to it by a large company of per- 
sons both before and after the event. 

The booths varied greatly in size and design. 
All were covered with white muslin as a foundation 
for the decorations. With this for a beginning, 
each lady in charge of a booth taxed her taste and 
skill in its adornment. The roofs, as a general 
thing, were made either of evergreen boughs or of 
tarlatan in bright tints, while the columns were 
wreathed with smilax, ivy geranium, and many 
other vines. A complete departure from this was 
a booth fairly embowered in pampas plumes. This 
was very striking. Another exception was a booth 
the inside walls and roof of which were solid with 
the feathery sprays of the graceful pepper tree. The 
dense green effect was relieved by the free use of 
spirea in bloom. 

A magnificent feature of the place was the fount- 
ain, around which, in a broad ring of green turf 
were imbedded the emblems of numerous societies, 
some being very elegant, showing exquisite taste in 
the selection and arrangement of tha flowers. All 
these societies had a representative on the ground 
replacing each day the withered flowers in their 



A WOyDERFUL FLOWER FESTIVAL. 2tJ5 

designs with fresh ones. In close proximity to this 
appeared a bank of eighty thousand cut roses, a bed 
of eleven thousand cut calla lillies, and near at hand 
seven thousand pansies showed their faces — all cut 
from one lady's garden ! Not one perished blossom 
was allowed to be seen in all these during the 
festival. There was no decrease in the supply of 
flowers during the entire time, and at the close of 
the exhibit enough w^ere blooming in the city and 
country to immediately repeat the unparalleled dis- 
play. Fifteen hundred fan-palm leaves — very effect- 
ive in decoration — were contributed by one family. 
But March 30th, the day for the festival to open, 
had arrived. To give the final touches to every 
thing during the day was an herculean task. But 
when the tired workers left the place for their 
homes, to obtain a little rest and prepare for the 
evening, the tabernacle presented a scene of beauty 
impossible for pen to describe. Now the evening 
has come, and what do we see? A vast mass of 
people so closely wedged together in the aisles and 
spaces, that no one can obtain any thing like a satis- 
factory idea of the wonderful display. Eight thou- 
sand persons, it is said, w'cre admitted between 
eight and ten o'clock. The perfume from millions 
of flowers filled the air. So dense was the odor 
that breathing was difficult. A flood of electric 
light turned night into day. An admirably drilled 
band discoursed excellent music. The pretty toilets 



266 CALIFORNIA, 

of the ladies in the long line of booths added, if 
possible, to the charm of the scene. The main 
features of the exercises were the procession through 
the aisles of Queen Flora and her train, her greet- 
ing to the people, and the address of the mayor of 
the city. The attractions of the place were main- 
tained unabated to the final* hour. Multitudes 
thronged the tabernacle day and evening, seeming 
never to tire of the beautiful scene, and always re- 
luctant to leave. 

Aside from the large pecuniary encouragement to 
the Festival Society, and the delight afforded to thou- 
sands of people who had never conceived of such a 
sight, the exhibit proved of great utility in extend- 
ing the culture of the finer varieties of flowers. 
Indeed, the tabernacle became a grand flower ex- 
change, in which ideas, knowledge, and experience 
gained in the domain of Flora, were freely com- 
municated. Men and women, from far and near, 
went home to surround themselves with more 
beauty; to multiply their ways of doing good. 
Southern California immediately began to increase 
its stock of flowers for the next Spring's festival. 



XXXI. 
IlOS f^NGBLES TO SAN ptl^ANGISGO. 



WE uttered our tearful farewells in the city of 
Los Augclcs on the morning of Tuesday last, 
having spent one year among its remarkably sym- 
pathetic and hospitable people ; a year daily bright- 
ened by touching acts of kindness performed toward 
us by stranger hands; a year full of obligation on 
our part, obligation which can never be discharged 
by us in other way than by holding in grateful 
remembrance the friends from whom we have 
parted. 

The citizens of Los Angeles have set before them 
multiplied opportunities for doing good, not only in 
befriending strangers in health, but in soothing the 
last hours of dying strangers, and faithfully do 
many of them improve it. Could all the facts in 
reference to their patient and gentle care of such 
persons be made public, the gratitude of the whole 
country would be awakened, since from every quar- 
ter of the land have people gone thither in pursuit 
of health. Of these a large proportion are young 
men. Coming to the coast very ill, oftentimes 
without fortunes, in great need of gentle attentions, 

they have been received into the homes of the citi- 

267 



268 CALIFORNIA. 

zeus, and by their iumates have been as assiduously 
nursed as if they had been brothers or sous, until 
the end, when they have been either gently laid to 
rest, or have with great painstaking been returned 
to their friends. 

Nor is it only to the citizens of Los Angeles 
that this tribute of acknowledgment is due. Fifty 
other communities equally merit it. When in the 
enterprising village of Santa Ana a short time ago, 
several marked instances of devotion to invalid 
young men, by the citizens, were related to me. In 
one case, occurring among some Minnesota people, 
an outlay of nearly two hundred dollars was incurred 
for one sufferer's comfort, with no expectation of a 
return of the money. 

I left Southern California with a prospect of 
soon emerging from its "annual panic," caused by 
the tardiness of the rains. This uneasiness rarely 
holds off until the rains are much past due. "Tak- 
ing its start about the middle of Autumn, it ac- 
quires dimensions," so states a clergyman, " up to 
the middle of January. By that time, if the clouds 
have not sent down their showers, all classes of 
business men are at a white heat of anxiety." They 
well know that without rain, only partial, if any, 
grain crops may be expected the next year; and the 
crops failing, there results a general stagnation of 
trade. Those departments which depend much 
upon the daily wants of the community for support, 



LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO. 209 

are the best sustained, but a year of drought sadly 
cripples even them. 

It is said that the panic — very naturally — orig- 
inates with the farmers and stock-raisers. To the 
former, a rainless Winter signifies a direct loss in 
the partial if not total loss of his grain crop the 
next year. To the latter it means the feeding of 
flocks and herds from the beginning of one Winter 
until the middle of the next. It may also betoken 
the loss of large numbers of sheep and cattle by 
thirst and starvation. On this coast, as everywhere, 
these classes of producers are the fountain-head of 
the money resources of the country. When they 
lock their coffers in anticipation of a dry season, 
and institute a strict economy in the household, im- 
mediately the towns and cities are in trouble. Then 
nothing but rain can clear the sky of the future. 

Probably no more rueflil looking person can be 
seen in Southern California, while a drought is in 
prospect, than the owner of miles of rich grazing 
laud, over which roam his thousands of cattle and 
sheep. Several such princely proprietors of real and 
personal property reside in the city of Los Angeles. 
Just before leaving there I was told that about a 
year ago one of these gentlemen, the owner of a 
celebrated ranch situated a few miles from the city, 
which is stocked with between thirty and forty 
thousand sheep, had spent the day on his domain, 
looking after the welfare of the animals. Return- 



270 CALIFORXfA. 

iug to the city toward night, he entered his attract- 
ive home, wearing a gloomy countenance, and 
threw himself into an easy chair before the fire. 
Observing his distressed appearance, his wife in- 
quired what was the matter. 

"Wife," said he, looking up at her with an 
anxious face, " unless it rains to-night I shall not 
be worth ten cents to-morrow, for many of the sheep 
will die. But an all-night rain would put ten thou- 
sand dollars in my pocket." 

At that moment there were some indications of 
a shower. The air was cold and the sky was over- 
cast with an unbroken cloud. Before retiring, the 
anxious man went out to take a look at the heav- 
ens. Lo! the whole vault above him was as clear 
as crystal, and thickly gemmed with stars. Hope 
took her flight. He re-entered the house and 
retired, disheartened. But suddenly, a little after 
midnight, he heard the music of 

"Myriads of massive rain-drops, 
Falling on all around ; 
Some were dancing on the house-tops, 
Some were hiding in the ground." 

That was the beginning of the first heavy rain 
of last Winter. The proprietor of the great rancho 
was comforted. Of course fruit culture continues 
whether there be rains or not, because few vines 
and trees are planted without provision for irrigat- 
ing them. Hence fruit crops, and the business 



LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO. 



271 



attaching thereto, are assured, unless there come 
untimely frost, or unkindly insect to destroy them. 

That portion of the Southern Pacific Railway 
which unites the cities of Los Angeles and San 




Misaion oi San Fer-nanio. 

Francisco bears the traveler through some rare 
scenery. First it crosses the beautiful Valley of 
San Fernando, one of the finest wheat sections of 
Southern California; the home of the olive, fig, 
pear, pomegranate, and grape; a notable grazing 
section, and the seat of the Mission of San Fer- 
nando, the seventeenth in order of the line of mis- 



272 CALIFORNIA. 

sions founded by the Franciscan Fathers between 
San Diego and San Francisco. Of the many build- 
ings once constituting this mission, the most inter- 
esting is the one erected as a residence for the priests. 
After the sequestration of the missions it was for 
several years the home of General Andrez Pico. 
Major B. C. Truman, writing of the structure, says: 
"It is three hundred feet long, eighty feet wide 
between the walls, which are four feet thick and 
two stories in height. The great attraction of the 
building is the corridor, nearly three hundred feet 
long, and made of columns and arches of superb 
masonry, with tile roof and brick floor. A vast 
succession of rooms compose the interior, and con- 
stitute a private residence unlike any other in 
America." 

Drawing out from the station of San Fernando, 
where, on either side of the track, stood a village of 
white tents occupied by the Chinese railway hands, 
we began the ascent to the "San Fernando tunnel," 
six thousand nine hundred and sixty-six feet long, 
with a grade of one hundred feet to the mile, and 
requiring seven minutes for its passage. Twice that 
number seemed to have passed before the light broke 
in from the front and we dashed out upon Newhall, 
the shipping point for the fountains of oil concealed 
in the Fernando range. 

Then comes the Mojave Desert, with its inter- 
esting cacti orchards, or groves of Yucca palm. 



LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO. 273 

We whisked through miles of them, tlie trees 
planted, in places, with almost the regularity of 
orange orchards. Their clumsy limbs and bunchy 
foliage give them a weird appearance which 
allies them to a past day and a vanished people. 
Mojave village springs out of the hot sand, rejoices 
in the fervid sunlight, disdains shelter or shade, but 
is all alive when the trains stop for something to 
eat. From this point the Atlantic and Pacific Rail- 
way branches off toward the East, bearing travelers 
within a few miles of that masterpiece of river 
plowing, the canon of the Colorado, and within easy 
reach of two of the largest cattle ranges on the 
continent. 

On my return from the North two years after 
that, there occurred at Mojave a funny little episode 
which showed how necessary it is that women who 
travel alone should know how their tickets read. 
As we drew up at the place a fleshy, good-natured 
looking woman, seated a little back of me, arranged 
to take her luncheon in the cars. Procuring a small 
pailful of coffee from the hotel, she was soon enjoy- 
ing her tempting eatables. On a track close by 
stood the Atlantic and Pacific train, just ready to 
roll out into the desert. Most of the passengers on 
our road had returned from dinner. At that 
moment, looking up in a careless way, this woman 
inquired if we knew of any one on the train 
going to St. Louis. 



274 CALIFORNIA. 

"Are you going to St. Louis?" asked a bright 
woman from Phoenix, Arizona. 

"Yes." 

"Does your ticket take you over the Southern 
Pacific? Seems to me you must change cars here. 
If so, that is your train; and it is about to leave." 

The woman quickly opened her reticule, exam- 
ined her ticket, and found to her dismay that she 
was booked to St. Louis, via the Atlantic and Pacific. 
Away then went her coffee. On went her bonnet. 
Pell-mell into its basket went her luncheon. Two 
ladies sprang to her side to help. One caught her 
wraps and umbrella. Another her satchel. The 
brakeman, hearing the bustle, came in and seized 
her pillows and blankets. Then the caravan started 
for the other train, stumbling over bricks and stones, 
and stirring up the dust. That moment the writer 
discovered that the woman had left her veil, seized 
it, ran after the others, tossed it to a man standing 
on the platform, and asked him to hand it to her, 
just as the train moved off. How she must have 
missed her coffee! 

But northward we go, off the desert at last, and 
climbing into the mountains again. Now and then 
we cross warm, grassy valleys, some of them 
threaded by little streams of water, talking gayly 
to the everlasting heights around. Now we are in 
the Soledad Carion, thousands of feet above the sea, 
and climbing steadily. After awhile the hills lift 



SOLED AD CANON. 275 

up their heads grandly. Around sharp pinnacles 
on the left, and fixr above us, a snow-storm is 
raging, the only thing in the awful solitudes which 
has motion, except our steam-impelled train. 

Finally, soon after dark, we gain the Tehachapi 
Pass, four thousand and twenty-six feet above sea 
level. Here the Coast Range forms a junction with 
the Sierra Nevada, and the result is some of the 
noblest scenery in California. A descent of eleven 
miles, and we have reached the "Loop," a bit of 
railroad engineering which has caused more com- 
ment than any other on the continent. And when 
one has studied the ground plan of the work, and 
understands its object, he does indeed wonder that 
such a plan should have been conceived for achiev- 
ing such a result, on a surface of such a character. 

The desire was, to carry the road out of the pass 
without running the track up and around the side 
of a steep mountain, lying in the path of the survey 
at the point where the loop is made, a course it 
would naturally take, but one involving heavy aiid 
expensive construction. To accomplish this a cer- 
tain amount of vertical distance had to be over- 
come. To find how that could be done was the 
great thing. Mr. Hood, the young engineer making 
the survey, drew a plan by which he believed the 
feat could be accomplished and avoid the mountain. 
He submitted this to the board of directors, a 
board unequaled in all the history of railroad 



276 CALIFORNIA. 

building for correct judgment and sagacity. The 
plan was at once adopted as by far the cheapest 
way out of the difficulty. 

The loop is double and embraces five folds ot 
track. To form the first loop the track makes the 
circuit of the base of a low butte, accomplishing a 
horizontal distance of three thousand seven hundred 
and ninety-four feet, or about three-fourths of a 
mile, when it plunges under itself through a tunnel 
four hundred and twenty-six feet long, by which a 
vertical distance of seventy-seven and one-half feet 
is overcome. The next loop increases the gain, and 
carries the road successfully out ot the trouble. 
In a conversation with Mr. Hood himself on the 
subject, he stated that no sooner had the news 
of the work gone abroad than he was addressed 
relative to it by European engineers; and as early 
as two years ago two similar loops had been con- 
structed among the mountains of the Continent. 
The Tehachapi loop was very easy of construction, 
and financially was a great success. Actual sur- 
veys show that, with all the doubling of the track, 
the road is only fifty feet longer than it would have 
been, had it been run around the mountain side. 

Mr. Hood is now the chief engineer of that 
mighty corporation, the Southern Pacific Company. 
Last Spring, 1886, he was busy improving the sur- 
veys for the California and Oregon Railroad, which 
for many miles leads up the stupendous canon of 



THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. 



277 



the Sacramento River, and after crossing some inter^ 
vening rather level country, performs the feat of 
crossing the Siskiyou Mountains, a chain which is 
the peer of the Cascades in height and massiveness. 



.^=rfaBn?^2s5?g^.,-^^?*riv3v.» 



vsi!^-g5g5r^r.gy^, 




Valley of the San Joa-uin. 
How to surmount the difficulties of these great phys- 
ical features must as thoroughly tax the genius of 
the man as did those of Tehachapi. 

Our train passed over the loop about nine in 
the evening. At early breakfast hour next morning 
we were at Lathrop, where passengers take cars for 
Sacramento. For hours then, our route lay through 
the vast San Joaquin Valley. Miles of young green 
wheat stretched away on either side. Farmers were 
plowing along the way. It was December, the 

24 



278 



CALIFORNIA. 



Summer time of the coast. At ten o'clock we 
rolled into Oakland. An hour later we were in 
San Francisco, the metropolis of the Pacific Coast ; 
the rival of Chicago in marvelous growth ; a young 
city, old in wealth, institutions, commerce, railroads, 
and tributary towns; as cosmopolitan as New York; 
the gateway to the old East, to the island world of 
the Pacific. We spend the next year writing of its 
affairs, people, and surrounding country. 










Gxaciera of Mount Tuccma, Wasnington Territory. 
280 (See page 430.; 



up 4^p pow^ 

IN 

Oregon and Washington. 



XXXII. 

Pi^OM San Fi^angisgo to I^oi^tland 
BY Sea. 



AT nine o'clock of a late June morning, seven 
months after the date of the last chapter, the 
writer rode down to the landing, in San Francisco, 
where lay the fine steamship Oregon, of the San 
Francisco and Portland line, with steam np. My 
name was on her passenger list for the cnrrent trip. 
Stepping from the carriage, I surveyed for a mo- 
ment the huge craft, her decks already alive with 
people, and instantly realized how utterly alone I 
should be among that multitude of strangers. Upon 
showing my ticket at the plank, a sprightly youth 
received my wraps and satchel from the driver, and 
conducted nie to my nicelv situated state-room. 
Quickly arranging my effects for the voyage, T 
locked the door, and stepped outside into the genial 
sunlight and the freshening breeze. 



281 



282 ON THE OCEAN. 

On the dock, waiting to see the noble boat off, stood 
a curious crowd of people — white, black, yellow, and 
brown, old and young. The little ones of the com- 
pany, their faces upturned ready to utter " good-bye " 
to friends on board, were attired like the flowers. 
A gray-haired couple standing close to the water's 
edge lifted their eyes to the last deck, and endeav- 
ored, amid the din produced by shouting deck- 
hands, tumbling baggage, and rumbling vehicles, 
to repeat some tender charge to a lady who leaned 
over the railing, eager to catch every word. 

Up the gangway, meanwhile, pushed a steady 
stream of men, women, and children, freighted with 
wraps, satchels, umbrellas, bird-cages, and other 
things — a thousand. But now among them ap- 
peared a face I knew. It was that of one of San 
Francisco's great-hearted citizens. Gaining the deck, 
he glanced around, and, discovering me, came for- 
ward and presented me a lovely bouquet, a parting 
gift from his wife, a very dear friend. A long way 
had he come that morning to brighten my outgoing 
by this fragrant deed. In his charming home, com- 
manding a fine view of the Golden Gate, had I 
passed many an hour of delight and rest during 
my sojourn in the city, my welcome always com- 
plete. Bringing these flowers was his last kindly 
act for me. Just before the Christmas days he en- 
tered upon the sleep from which the waking will be 
by the Lord himself. "May you be the sickest 



SAN FRANCISCO TO PORTLAND. 283 

person on board!" he turned to say as he passed 
down tlie plank, and I was — almost. 

A few moments more and the Oregon swept out 
into the beautiful bay. '' Good-bye, grandpa," pealed 
forth a sweet, child voice from the upper deck. At 
the same time a tiny hand made a little blue parasol 
describe several quick, uneven circles in the air, as 
a parting salute. "Good-bye, darling," came back 
in manly tones from the, landing. Then took place 
a general flutter of handkerchiefs on ship, on shore, 
reminding me of that most unique proceeding, 
the giving the "Chautauqua salute." 

Now, reader, come to the starboard side of the 
steamer. See! At the right on the main-land is 
Oakland, a beautiful city with fifty thousand in- 
habitants, and always bright with flowers. To the 
north of it, slightly, you see Berkeley, the seat of the 
State University, of the Asylum for Deaf Mutes, 
and the location of many pretty homes, surrounded 
with almost semi-tropic bloom and verdure. Turn 
now toward the east. Those are the spires of Ala- 
meda, a village almost without a rival for beautv in 
all California. 

But here we are just opposite Yerba Buena, one 
of the three small islands which adorns the central 
portion of San Francisco Bay, and lying almost in 
the pathway of the ferries from the great city to 
Oakland. "Goat Island" is its homely American 
name, a reason for which lies some years back in 



284 ON THE OCEAN. 

its history. It stands three hundred and forty-six 
feet above the water; is inhabited by the keeper of 
its light, and serves as a fog-signal station, as well 
as a place for the manufacture and storage of buoys, 
numbers of which lie scattered about on the other 
side. It is about midway between the two cities, 
they being separated by three and three-fourth 
miles of water. 

But while we have been studying geography the 
Oregon has sped on her way, and now we are 
abreast of "Alcatraz Island," the middle gem of the 
cluster, one and a half miles north of San Francisco, 
and three and a half miles east of the Golden Gate. 
It stands "one hundred and forty feet above low- 
water mark;" contains about twelve acres, chiefly 
solid rock ; is four hundred and fifty feet wide, six- 
teen hundred and fifty feet long, irregular in shape, 
and encircled by powerful batteries, in which are 
said to l)e mounted some of the heaviest guns ever 
cast in America. It commands the entrance to the 
Golden Gate, and forms an effectual defense for the 
harbor of San Francisco. From the light-house 
visible on its highest point, light is reflected twelve 
miles to sea. On its south-eastern extremity is sta- 
tioned a fog-bell, which peals forth notes of warning 
four times every minute in heavy weather. The cita- 
del — well defended — on its top furnishes quarters for 
about two hundred men, and will, if necessity re- 
quires, with certain adjacent accommodations, shelter 



SAN FRANCISCO TO PORTLAND. 285 

three times that number. Added to these is a 
series of stone guard-houses, shell-proof, defended 
by strong gates and drawbridges, and pierced on 
all sides for rifled cannon. Destitute of springs 
or wells, Alcatraz receives its chief supply of 
water from the main-land, and stores it beneath 
the citadel. 

A glance toward the north now, brings to view 
Angel Island, much the largest and most important 
of the group. It embraces from six to eight hun- 
dred acres of valuable land, and contains large 
quarries of blue and brown sandstone, durable in 
quality and of great utility for building purposes. 
Of it are constructed the government works at the 
Navy-yard on Mare Island, near the northern ex- 
tremity of the bay, and also the fortifications at 
Alcatraz and Fort Point, The latter defense, you 
observe, stands upon the southern shore of the bay, 
near the eastern entrance of the Golden Gate. 
Angel Island is strongly garrisoned, and the pow- 
erful guns of its three fixed batteries defend the 
harbor in all directions, insuring the safety of the 
Navy-yard and of the towns and cities lining the 
shores of the bay. Unlike Alcatraz, it is abun- 
dantly supplied with good water from natural 
sources, and at the season is carpeted with flowers. 

A more favorable hour for viewing all this 

charming scenery, including the Marin County hills, 

which wall in the Golden Gate on the north, is near 

25 



286 ON THE OCEAN. 

the close of the day, or when the sun is about to 
drop behind the high elevations in the west, and 
the harsh din of San Francisco waxes faint in the 
evening air. Then there falls over the pretty isl- 
ands, over the stern fortifications, the distant mount- 
ains, the many-fashioned craft upon the water, and 
over the magnificent bay itself, just the light which 
turns the entire scene into a picture of wonderful 
beauty. For convenience at elections the two first 
islands have been made precincts of San Fran- 
cisco, and the third a precinct of Marin County. 

But we are inattentive. The* Oregon is already 
well into the narrow strait through which passes 
commerce from all parts of the world to San Fran- 
cisco, and to which, by universal assent, has been 
given«the name " Golden Gate." But it is possible 
to be more definite than that. Strictly, the Golden 
Gate is the Pacific mouth of the passage, or that 
portion which lies immediately between Point Bon- 
ita on the north, and Point Lobos on the south. 
It is the passing between these heads which is so 
much dreaded by travelers by sea. There Neptune 
is usually on the alert to make mortals wretched. 
Let us hope his majesty is to-day absorbingly occu- 
pied in some far-away quarter of his realm, and we 
may therefore escape being sent to bed at noon. 

The entire strait is about one mile wide and 
two miles long. Fort Point, on the south, and an 
abrupt recession of the Marin County hills, on the 



SAN FRANCISCO TO PORTLAND. 287 

nortli, mark its junction witli tlic bay. The fortifi- 
cation from wiiich Fort I'oint receives its name, is 
a brick structure modeled after Fort Sumter, and, 
before the recent improvements in naval warfare, 
was considered an impregnable work ; but before 
the arms now in use, it is asserted, it would not 
stand one hour. On the green slope in the rear of 
the fort, we see the presidio, embracing the barracks 



The Golden Gate. 

anx3 the homes of the officers. East of this, a mile 
perhaps, is Black Point, also fortified and garrisoned. 
Steadily, after leaving the landing, the breeze 
strengthened, and, as we sailed out bet\veen "the 
heads" and turned northward, blew directly in the 
face of the Oregon, cold and disagreeable, and drove 
the passengers to their rooms for warmer wraps. 
As the night drew on, and wore away, the wind in- 
creased to a gale. Monday morning found the sea 
furiously wrathy, and the wind still sweeping south- 



288 ON THE OCEAN. 

ward. Through that day, and onward to midnight, 
the brave vessel plowed right into the heart of great 
waves, frequently shipping heavy seas and deluging 
her decks with water. Thus, for thirty hours or 
more, did the misnamed ocean treat us in this un- 
Pacific manner. Of the passengers, barely a half- 
dozen deserted their berths the second day. These 
were hardened sea-goers, who had witnessed the 
performance before, and were used to it. They not 
only took the rocking and the drenching patiently, 
but in one or two instances even jocularly. 

Upon arriving off Cape Blanco, a little after 
midnight, the Oregon suddenly glided into calm 
water as had been foretold, and on Tuesday morn- 
ing, the third day out, the voyagers, upon emerging 
from their state-rooms; beheld an ocean scene of 
wonderful beauty. The sun shone brightly and 
warmly. The sky was without a cloud. The air 
was balmy and exhilarating. The sea, almost as 
smooth as a mirror, flashed and sparkled as if 
sprinkled with diamonds. Myriads of tiny sea-duck 
were gracefully skimming the surface of the water, 
or were gleefully describing circles above it. Here 
and there, on the ocean side of the boat, rose slen- 
der columns of water, straight into the air a distance 
of six or eight feet, and then quickly broke into 
feathery spray, the color of the rainbow, and floated 
away in iridescent mist. "What sent up the columns? 
The Oregon was passing through a school of whales. 



SAN FRANCISCO TO PORTLAND. 280 

Occasionally one of the monsters would rise to the 
surface and remain in sight until all had a good 
view of him, thus conferring a special favor on those 
■who had seen whales, only in skeleton, in the mu- 
seums; or in ink, in books. 

On the starboard side quite another scene was 
presented. We were skirting Oregon's coast, six 
miles perhaps, out from shore. Inland, a varying 
distance, loomed up the Coast Range of mountains, 
looking.cool and indifferent behind their veil of deep 
blue. Presently the cry of "Tillamook Head!" 
sounded along the deck, and then the learned ones 
began to tell the story of " Tillamook Light," 
which crowns a bare brown rock, rising many feet 
above the ocean, and about one mile out from the 
" Head," a bold, almost perpendicular cliff on the 
main land. Between the beacon and the promontory, 
where the water is seventeen fathoms deep, there 
flow swift counter-currents of the sea. These cur- 
rents render the passage of the channel extremely 
dangerous, especially at night. Associated with the 
spot are some painful casualties, which occurred 
before the light was erected. 

" I can give you some points about that danger- 
ous rock, madam," said Mr. Gilmore, the chief en- 
gineer, ap|)roaching me, as with my glass I scanned 
the islet of stone, and the formidable head-land back 
of it. I thanked him, and he went on to say : 

"When the government decided to place a 



290 ON THE OCEAN. 

warning light before Tillamook Head, the contract 
for its erection was awarded to a friend of mine. 
Something like twenty or thirty feet had to be 
blasted off the top of the rock, in order to obtain 
space for the foundation of the structure. The task 
proved a very difficult one, and one day, when my 
friend and four or five others were busy at their 
work, with high seas rolling all around them, his 
foot slipped, and in a flash he was gone. That was 
in 1879 or '80. One dark night, in 1881, before 
the tower for the light was quite finished, an English 
steamer, mistaking her course, got into that passage. 
Two men, who were sleeping in the basement of the 
tower, were awakened by the grating of her boxes 
against the rock. Springing instantly from bed, 
they ran out upon the rock, swung a light, and 
shouted into the darkness: 

"'You are in the channel before Tillamook 
Head.' 

" They then heard, from on board, a command 
to reverse the engine, but there followed no other 
sounds. The next morning a steamer's masts 
pointed upward, out of the sea near by. Forthwith 
launching their boat, the two men propelled them- 
selves around to the north of the head, where were 
some settlers living. Arousing them, they lowered 
parties over the steep cliff to the water below. 
There, in a narrow recess of the rocks, they found 
the dead bodies of sixteen men, washed in from the 



SAN FRANCISCO TO PORTf.ASD. 



291 



wreck. N<it a soul luul survived the disaster. Re- 
port of tlie steamer's loss was immediately made to 
AVashiuijton, and the government ordered the dan- 




Tillamook LigM. 

gerons rock to be lighted without delay. In pre- 
vious times numerous casualties have occurred at 
the spot." 

• It is a little singular how firmly such tale.s 
fasten themselves in the memories of men. Prob- 
ably not one of the Orer/on\s passengers, Avho 
listened to INFr. Gilmore's several recitals, will ever 
forget them, or perilous Tillamook channel. The 
height of Tillamook Roek is one hundred and 
thirty-eight foet above the sea. There are times 
when the custodian of the light is oblig<'d to abide 



292 ON 'J HE OCEAN. 

iu his isolated abode for vveeky, without coiuinuni- 
cation with the shore. Usually, iu the Autumu, 
provisions to last for mouths are stored beneath the 
tower. On one oecasion supplies for half a year 
were unloaded upon the rock. That night, the 
keeper having failed to remove them to the vaults, 
a fierce stoum arose and washed the whole invoice 
into the hungry sea. 

The next object of general interest was Mount 
St. Helens, a splendid solitary snow cone, piercing 
the atmosphere, eighty miles away, in Washington 
Territory, and yet plainly visible from the deck of 
the steamer. Upon some of the passengers, who 
saw the majestic snow cone for the first time, the 
eiFect was peculiar. Statue-like, far enough away 
to be shrouded in mystery, the "mountain seemed 
a Mikado of the old regime, holding absolute sway 
over the thousands of lesser summits, lifting their 
heads cloud ward all about. 

Presently, now, there fell upon our ears at reg- 
ular intervals, a loud, hoarse cry which sounded 
much like a tone of distress. "What is that?" 
asked several of the company. 

"We are approaching the mouth of the Colum- 
bia," answered the engineer, " and that is the warning 
voice of the buoy, which you see just ahead, there." 

How the thing moaned and groaned as the 
Oregon glided by, as if really afraid of failing in 
duty ! Like a giant with lusty lungs, the bellows- 



SAN FRANCISCO TO PORTLAND. 293 

throated creature ceaselessly sends out its uever-to- 
be-forgotten cries, which seem to say : " Beware of 
the bar of the Columbia." Even above the roar of 
the ocean, may mariners sailing amid darkness and 
fog hear its notes of alarm. 

The Oregon sailed right on, paying no heed, and 
ere we were aware had headed eastward and was 
crossing the bar. The tide was full, and without 
the slightest difficulty she floated into the splendid 
stream, with Cape Disappointment on the north, 
and Fort Stevens on the south. The broad ex- 
pansion of the river from its mouth to the city 
of Astoria, a distance of fifteen miles, is known as 
Chinook, or Astoria Bay. But what means this 
multitude of tiny craft with sails all set, which 
decks the beautiful sheet? 

" That is a small section of the salmon fleet of 
the Columbia," answered a gentleman standing near. 
"And by the way, madam, the salmon industry is 
one of the most important subjects to which you 
can give attention in the North-west. Between 
here and Astoria there are a thousand boats engaged 
in taking the fish sometimes, with two men to each 
boat. What a pity you are going on to Portland 
to-night! Why don't you stop at Astoria? That's 
the place to get information about the pursuit. I 
tell you there's no end of interest attached to it." 

Upon his stopping to take breath, I inquired if 
he were engaged in the salmon trade. 



294 ON THE OCEAN. 

"No, I live twenty miles up the Washington 
coast. But salmon fishing is one of the leading 
lines of business on this coast, and I wish you 'd 
look into it." I assured the enterprising man that 
ray plans comprehended a return to Astoria the 
next week for that very purpose. Whereupon he 
appeared delighted. 

A little before sunset the Oregon floated up to 
her docks in the oldest town of the State. Seventy- 
six years ago it was founded by John Jacob Astor, 
in his day the most notable fur-trader in America. 
It was Mr. Astor's intention to make the place "a 
trading-post and half-way fur-station between New 
York and China." Not approving of the project, 
the "British North-west Fur Company" deter- 
minedly resisted his attempts, and sought to gain 
possession of the post, and, eventually, through 
the treachery of one of Mr. Astor's partners, who 
was in charge of the place, it fell for a time into the 
hands of this company. At that period the En- 
glish crown claimed all the territory now included in 
Oregon and Washington. And British subjects en- 
gaged in the fur-trade throughout the region strenu- 
ously opposed American occupation of the ground 
for the same purpose. Subsequently the portion 
south of the forty-ninth parallel was yielded to the 
United States, and soon after a little settlement 
sprang up around the post. The place is still but 
a village, but has recently much increased in extent. 



SAN FRANCISCO TO PORTLAND. 295 

It stretches some distance up the south bank of the 
Columbia, and also quite up the bluff at its most 
accessible point. Its situation is really pleasant. 
Spite of the rain which had been falling for some 
time, I went ashore for a short walk through the 
nearer streets. Many features suggested the salmon 
industry, by which I imagine the town is largely 
sustained. But with regard to that, I shall be 
better informed next week. 

Discharging a portion of her cargo, and taking 
on a "river pilot," the steamer resumed her course 
toward the western Portland. For many miles 
above Astoria the channel for large steamers lies 
near the Washington side of the river. The scenery 
is attractive much of the distance. Bold hills? 
clothed with green and studded with feathery firs' 
come down to the very brink. In some localities 
lofty, almost perpendicular rocks, clearly of igneous 
origin, skirt the stream for many rods. On the 
other hand, its banks on the Oregon side show 
• stretches of low land, which in some places are very 
picturesque. Often a line of distant blue hills or a 
frinofe of dense timber frames them in. The Colum- 
bia is studded with numerous islands. Even those 
which are low and marshy contribute much to the 
loveliness of the scenes. 



XXXIII. 

^OI^TLAND ON THE 05ILLAMBTTE. 



FIVE o'clock, Wednesday morning, July 1st, 
found us at the landing in the western Port- 
land, six hundred and eighty-three miles, by sea, 
from San Francisco, and located, like its namesake 
in the Pine Tree State, on an edge of the continent. 
It is a handsome city, and toward itself probably 
draws more footsteps in a year than does the Maine 
metropolis in five. How fortuitous, apparently, are 
the circumstances which locate certain cities where 
need of them will be great, where they will natu- 
rally dominate vast regions of country, and supply 
large numbers of people ! A trifling necessity, a 
narrow purpose, or a transient scheme, is oftentimes 
the cause of their origin. And yet never too small 
is such a beginning, to enter into the plan of Him^ 
whose designs, cities, as well as nations, carry out. 
Strange, too, are the happenings by which places 
are sometimes namfed ! A bare chance, a happy hit, 
a thoughtless suggestion, or better, an attachment 
to some spot far away, settles the question. But 
how came the continent with two Portlands? Forty 
years ago the coming Winter, two men built the 
first house on this site, their imaginations picturing a 
29G 



PORTLAND ON THE WILLAMETTE. 297 

future city rising; on tlic ground. One of tliciii hailed 
from tlie grand Old Bay State, and wanted to call 
the place " Boston." The other must have strayed 
from Maine, for he had a preference for " Portland." 
To settle it they tossed a penny into the air, and 
Portland won. Named simply by chance, you see, 
but well named, after all. Just as good as Boston. 

The beautiful city lies on both sides of the 
Willamette Iliver, and approaches forty thousand 
in population, the west side claiming three-fourths 
of the number. Though very crooked, the general 
course of this stream for a distance of one hundred 
and fifty miles from its mouth, is from south to 
north. Thus naturally we have " East and West 
Portland " for the two sections of the town. Com- 
munication between them is by steam ferries, four 
ill numl)er. The Willamette is navigable to Port- 
land by the largest sea-going stips, making the city 
practically an ocean port, though distant from the 
sea one hundred and twenty-three miles. In width 
the river varies greatly. At the point where the 
principal ferries ply it is about a half-mile wide. 

Inevitably where two towns confront each other 
with but a narrow water-way between them, one 
of them secures the larger share of wealth, busi- 
ness, railroads, and newspapers, together with the 
finest churches, school-houses, and other public 
buildings. The city on the Blue Willamette forms 
no exception to the rule. In Portland j^roper, cen- 



298 OREGON. 

ter, for the present certainly, most of the facilities 
for the growth and prosperity of the place. It is 
of itself a beautiful city, threaded by many pic- 
turesque streets, and for its size is one of the 
wealthiest in the Union. The stranger is surprised 
to find here a town of its dimensions. Multitudes 
of my readers can remember when the Portland of 
the Pacific did not exist. It now aspires to be, and 
to an important degree is, a business rival of San 
Francisco. This is due, of course, to the completion 
of the Northern Pacific Railway. Since that event 
the latter city has suifered a marked restriction of 
its traffic from the North. So has it also from the 
South, the Southern Pacific road having made Los 
Angeles neighbor to the vast East. Thus instead 
of one metropolis the coast now has three, with the 
semi-tropical city, particularly, making phenomenal 
strides in material ggowth. 

Portland experienced a terrible stroke of paral- 
ysis from the second financial disaster to the North- 
ern Pacific Railway, several of its wealthiest citizens 
being heavy losers in that crash. Nor has the place 
yet recovered from the blow, though there is per- 
ceptible a steady effort toward regaining the lost 
ground. The local journals are urging, I notice, a 
larger investment of capital in manufactures in the 
city, and the hearty welcoming to their midst out- 
side money and enterprise, as the surest means of 
hastening a return of those " days of abundance," 



. ''^'S^^'A 



i| :::'m 




300 OREGON. 

now so much lamented "as having passed away 
with the advent of the Northern Railroad." 

West Portland occupies an exceptionally fine 
location both for business and for beauty. Practi- 
cally the Willamette bounds it on the north and 
east, making nearly a square turn midway of the 
city, giving plenty of water front, while back from 
the river a liftle distance, a bold bluff sweeps around 
on the south and west. Crowding close against 
this is a succession of high hills, affording delightful 
sites for residences, and splendid views of some of 
the grandest scenes on the coast. From the bluff 
the land descends with an admirable grade to the 
river in two directions, furnishing excellent drainage 
and many lovely views up and down the long, 
straight streets. Those running east and west are 
especially picturesque. Crossing them at certain 
points, one involuntarily stops and asks himself: 
" What produces this charming effect?" Then, first, 
he notes the long ascending or descending grade of 
the street. Next he takes in the line of elegant 
shade-trees on either side, with here and there the 
bits of terraced lawns. To all these he adds, lastly, 
the glimpses of pretty homes near and far away. 
Now he understands why he stopped so suddenly in 
his hurried walk, delighted by something; by what, 
he could not tell. A score of times have I been so 
arrested in my quiet rambles about the city. 

Mainly the thorough fiires cross at right angles^ 



PORTLAND OX THE WILLAMETTE. 



301 



The blftcks thus laid off are two hiiiulrcd feet 
square. Around most of them stands a cordon of 
vigorous elms, maples, walnuts, locust-trees, with 
now a trim poplar, a feathery willow, or a splendid 
mountain ash, fairly aflame with scarlet berries. 
The latter remind me of the city of Oswego, Xew 
York, seen in xVugust, thirty years ago. 

But charming streets are not the 'only interesting 
things to be seen in Portland. Let us walk around 




Mount Hood 

into Clay Street, corner of Fifth, for a moment. 

Now look off eastward. You are face to face 

with Mount Hood^ the magnificent, snow-clad for 

ages, a wonder ever since man was made, one of 

nature's masterpieces on this coast. "How near it 

seems!" Ah, but it is fifty miles away. Every 

time the inmates of this home on our right open its 

front door and glance eastward they behold, if the 

26 



302 OREGON. 

weather be clear, this monarch of the Cascades. 
" Do not frequent views breed contempt?" Not for 
kingly mountains. 

I invite you to pass with me through Fourth 
Street on our way home. Now we are at the spot. 
Turn your eyes toward the northern horizon. Tiiat 
dazzling object peering down upon us through the 
leafy trees is beautiful Mount St. Helens, sixty 
miles distant. Mantled in immaculate snow, it 
seems like a being from heaven, appointed to keep 
an eye upon the goings and doings of these Ore- 
gonians. Overflows of lava from this mountain have 
been witnessed, it is said, during the past half century. 

Portland contains many handsome residences, of 
which the great majority look fresh and new, as if 
built within the past five years. Like most of the 
homes in the city of Cleveland, Ohio, each presents 
its own green yard and separate picture of shrubs, 
vines, and flowers. The dwellings and lawns of 
numbers of the wealthier citizens occupy an entire 
square. The home of Mr. J. N. Dolph, the present 
United States Senator from Oregon, is so situated. 
The premises, bounded by four streets, front upon 
Fifth, between Jefferson and Columbia. The house, 
a two-story white frame, with a high attic and a 
lofty tower, commands a wide area of both Oregon 
and Washington. Within the range of vision from 
the inviting uppermost room of the tower are to be 
seen several of the notable snow cones of the region. 



PORTLAND ON THE WILLAMETTE. 



803 



Of these, Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens 
are in Washington. Oregon claims Mount Jef- 
ferson and Mount Hood. The last coast survey 
gives the latter a height of 11,225 feet. St. Helens 
cleaves the air to a distance of 9,750 feet; while 
5,860 feet content both Adams and Jefferson. For 
the reader to conceive of the splendid effect of 
these grand elevations, rising majestically here and 




there out of the landscape, is impossible without 
seeing them. One view of them is ample compen- 
sation for a journey hither. During bis term at 
Washington, the home of Senator Dolph is occupied 
by the family of a younger brother, Mr. Ovrus 
A. Dolph, himself a lawyer of ability and influence 
in Portland. Within its walls is practiced daily a 
hospitality like Abraham's — ready, unstinted, often 
making glad the heart of the stranger, as the 
writer can attest. 



304 OREGON. 

Through the center of Portland there stretches 
a succession of public parks, at M'hich the public 
may simply look as it passes by. All are inclosed 
separately, and set with pretty Oregon trees. In 
none of them are there flowers, rustic seats, nor 
trim -walks bordered with velvet turf. Numerous 
fine residences front upon them, but they only in- 
crease their unsightliuess by contrast. Thrown open 
and made attractive, these sunny reservations would 
enhance beyond estimate the beauty of Portland, 
and would become the delight of citizens who 
seldom if ever recreate beyond the city limits. Laid 
off in front of the court-house, however, is a plaza of 
considerable extent which partially meets this want. 

The one extremely ornate public building in the 
city is that for the high-school. No other place I 
have visited on the coast contains its equal in this 
respect. Architecture not being my strong point, I 
can not mention the order to which it belongs, but 
I should say to the composite style. The architect 
himself may know. He has certainly not left the 
purpose of the building in doubt; for on the front 
of it, on both sides the tower, appear the words 
" High School " in very legible characters. When 
completed the structure will have cost one hundred 
thousand dollars. The system of graded schools in 
the city is conceded to be excellent. Episcopal 
and Catholic private schools are well sustained in 
the place. 



PORT LAM) Oy TIIK WILLAMETTE. 305 

Arcliitecturally speaking, most of tlie cluireh 
edifices represent a past clay. The Calvary Presby- 
terian Church, corner of Clay and Ninth Streets, is 
new, modern, built of wood, and within is a charm- 
ing house of worship, complete in its equipments, 
and a most inviting place for quiet communion 
Nvitli tlie Divine Father. In the faithful preaching 
of the gospel in Portland, no other denomination 
excels the Baptists. Zealous and tireless, they are 
ever about their Father's business. The Methodists 
are numerically strong, and have a firm foot-hold 
in the community. 

Should the reader ever visit Portland, one of the 
first objects which will arrest his attention is the 
massive stone foundation of an intended hotel oc- 
cupying the entire block immediately west of the 
post-office. The walls abut the sidewalk on four 
streets, and hence are two hundred feet square. 
They rise above the pavement a full half story, and 
penetrate the ground sufficiently for a deep, light 
basement. Below the surface they are of heavy 
brick work; above it, of hammered blue limestone. 
Deep recesses form spacious courts on both the 
eastern and western sides. The window embra- 
sures and the broad arched doorways, Avelcome the 
storms, and dust. Both courts and the basement 
are strewn with boards, boxes, barrels, empty kegs, 
and heavy blocks of stone. Through the arches, 
of moonlight nights, the moonbeams play in ghostly 



306 OREGON. 

manner, and of dark nights solitary pedestrians 
feel more comfortable on the other side of the 
street. Upon this plain, staunch foundation have 
been expended, so the people say, one hundred and 
fifty thousand dollars. It was expected the structure 
would cost when completed one and a half millions. 
Nowhere upon the structure appears its name, but 
the citizens have christened it " Villard's Ruin," 
for one step it was, toward the great financial failure 
of Mr. Henry Villard. While pushing the con- 
struction of the Northern Pacific Road, the too san- 
guine man was also busy laying these walls, ex- 
pecting that upon the completion of the great 
thoroughfare there would flow into Portland from 
the East a tide of travel much too vast for its then 
limited hotel accommodations. He finished the 
railway. The hotel the tooth of Time is at work 
upon, finishing it downward. One thinks of the 
spirit and high hopes with which that gentleman 
urged forward his herculean task, and of the sudden 
immense loss and disappointment himself and many 
others sustained in the collapse of his scheme, with 
feelings of regret. Just how much of that quick 
dashing of hopes was " due to causes which never 
have, and never will, see the light," some living 
probably know. It is rumored that the Portland 
authorities meditate buying the " ruin " and erecting 
upon it a fine city hall. That will do. 

Advancement in manufactures is a subject now 



PORTLAND ON THE WILLAMETTE. 307 

uppermost in the minds of capitalists in this part of 
the North-west. Indeed, in this direction no little 
progress has already been made. Among other 
branches in this city, interest attaches to the work 
of the " Cleveland Mixed Paint Manufacturing 
Company," on account of the peculiar Oregon re- 
sources which it brings to light. The mountain 
ranges of Oregon and Washington — notably the 
Cascade Range — abound in ochres, oxides, siennas, 
and paint ores. In Southern Oregon chrome ores 
are very prevalent. Assays of these compounds 
show that th-ey contain about sixty per cent of acid, 
which, when set free, forms valuable chromes. Out 
of them the above company manufactures a full line 
of putties, mixed paints, and paste colors, the 
Pacific North-west, alone, affording a sufficient mar- 
ket for its products. The company gets its name 
from the fact that at Cleveland, Ohio, were first 
produced paints mixed ready for use. 

Other lines of manufacture bring out the value 
of Oregon woods. A firm on Front Street makes 
from them every variety of hollow wooden-ware, 
besides step-ladders, wash-boards, chess-boards, net- 
floats, and the like. The red cedar is of special 
utility, the cork-like substance between the grain 
rendering it invaluable for articles intended to hold 
water, as wash-tubs, pails, kegs, and barrels. Shin- 
gles cut from it are ever in demand, since they 
neither split nor warp. The millions of net-floats 



308 OREGON. 

iiserl in the salmon industry are formed from it, and 
every school-boy knows its value for fence-posts. 
Placed beside Eastern goods of the same class, but 
made of different wood, the Oregon wares are sure 
of the preference. The maple of the State is in 
high favor for cabinet work, and also for seats and 
desks in churches and schools ; indeed, it is worked 
ii\ freely with ash and alder for all hardwood pur- 
poses. For all articles requiring soft woods, spruce, 
cedar, and the firs are well adapted. 

Front Street, skirting the river, with First and 
Second Streets, are mainly the business thorough- 
fares. They are paved with a limestone much 
resembling that quarried at Marblehead, on Lake 
Erie. Elsewhere throughout the city, the avenues 
are treated to a covering of crushed stone, which in 
time works down to a hard, smooth surface. The 
sidewalks are chiefly of narrow boards laid cross- 
wise. A durable concrete is, however, coming into 
favor for this purpose, and is sure to displace l^he 
boards. Wholesale houses, with insurance and rail- 
way offices, occupy Front Street quite exclusively. 
The buildings are fine, being generally of brick or 
stone, and three or four stories in height. On other 
streets there are many spacious and beautiful shops 
and stores. 



xxxiv. 

She Salmon Industi^y op the 
Columbia. 



LAST Thursday being the anniversary of the Na- 
tion's birthday, I had an opportunity of seeing 
how the citizens of Portland celebrate it. The 
programme varied little from that adopted by the 
country generally for the last half century. There 
was the same profuse display of the national colors, 
.the same civic procession, and the usual amount of 
soaring eloquence, accompanied by the explosion of 
masses of gunpowder. Select companies picnicked 
at water-falls. Small parties rode away to the hill- 
tops for the day. The friends of Woman's Suffrage 
hied themselves to Vancouver to celebrate their 
recent victory for the ballot in Washington Ter- 
ritory. In short, the day was filled with racket, 
feasting, drinking, fatigue, and speech-making, and 
no doubt when the night drew on there was gen- 
eral rejoicing over the fact that the "Glorious 
Fourth" asserts its claim biit once a year. Far 
from home and among strangers, my enthusiasm did 
not mount very high, but I endeavored to feel 
patriotic, and thankful that my native land em- 
braces such States as Ohio and Oregon. 

The next Tuesday morning at the early hour of 
27 309 



310 OREGON. 

half-past five I might have been seen hastening 
toward the landing of the Oregon Railway and 
Navigation Company's steamer S. G. Reed, of the 
Portland and Astoria line. My destination was the 
latter city, and my purpose the studying the salmon 
industry of the Columbia, Astoria being its head- 
quarters. On board, bound to the same point, I 
found a strong delegation of wide-awake Oregon 
teachers and friends of education, mostly delegates 
to the State Teacher's Institute, that evening to con- 
vene in Mr. Astor's town. 

In the fullness of steamboat time — that is, four 
o'clock in the afternoon — the Reed drew up to her 
dock, and cast oif her lines for an all-night stay 
where all the "Astors" are salmon-colored. Forth- 
with the pedagogical passengers scattered to the 
hotels and hospitable homes of the city, while I, 
equipped Avith umbrella, pencil, and note-book, 
stepped ashore, and soon met a most kindly re- 
ception at the cottage of Mr. Curtis Trenchard, the 
highly esteemed clerk of Clatsop County, of which 
Astoria is the legal center. Thence, soon, my time 
being of much value, I hastened to the salmon- 
canning establishment of Mr. William Ilnme, the 
pioneer of the industry on the Pacific Coast. I 
found the gentleman at his post, and presenting my 
credentials, informed him I had come for a chapter 
of details pertaining to his pursuit, including a 
brief sketch of its history. 



SA LMON IND USTR Y. 311 

Receiving me courteously, Mr. Hume began his 
story by saying that he had spent liis life among 
the salmon, having fished for them with his father 
in the Kennebec River, in Maine, when but a lad 
ten years of age; and that he himself had intro- 
duced the business on this western coast, having 
established the first canneries on both the Sacra- 
mento and Columbia rivers. At the age of twenty- 
two, allured by the prospect of richer fishing in the 
streams of the Pacific, he forsook the banks of the 
Kennebec, and began the long journey across the 
continent, arriving upon the Sacramento in 1853. 
In 1864 he introduced in the city of Sacramento — 
then an incipient village — the then new pursuit of 
canning his favorite fish, himself, his brother, George 
W. Hume, now resident of Oakland, California, and 
a Mr. A. S. Hapgood, also a New Englander, and 
familiar with the mode of canning oysters and 
lobsters on the Atlantic sea-board, forming a partner- 
ship for the purpose. As has been true in other 
new ventures in business, the firm was obliged to 
urge its goods upon a suspicious market. " Canned 
salmon" was an unknown article of food, and the 
Sacramento housekeepers were afraid of it. 

"In order to introduce my goods," said Mr. 
Hume, " I used to fill a basket as large as I could 
carry, with the cans, take it on my arm, and start 
out among the families of my acquaintance, and, 
presenting to each a can of the fish, would carefully 



312 OREGON. 

explain with what niceness it was put up, and in- 
vite them to try it. Thus, for a time, I gave away 
the product. That was twenty years ago. Now 
canned sahnon can be obtained in any market of 
the world. But that was the origin of the great 
industry." 

Up to about this time the shipping of fresh 
salmon in express wagons to the gold-mines in dif- 
ferent parts of the State had made a lucrative busi- 
ness for Mr. Hume. The miners were a class of 
men who never denied themselves an article of food 
they desired, however extravagant the price. Se- 
cured easily and rapidly in most instances, their 
gold-dust and nuggets vanished like the wind when 
appetite was tempted. Hence, round sums of gold 
were freely laid down by them for the splendid 
pink denizens of the Sacramento. San Francisco 
also furnished a good market for the fish when 
fresh. Thus did these enterprising Maine men drive 
a thriving business in this line alone. 

But the canned salmoii grew in favor, and in 
time so flattering became the prospect for a market 
for it, that Mr. William Hume began to sigh for 
other streams to angle in. Inclined, like John Jacob 
Astor, to form large plans, and possessed, also, of a 
degree of that shrewd German's foresight in choos- 
ing fields of effort, he quietly determined to make 
a pilgrimage to the Columbia to ascertain if it did 
not offer greater encouragement for his special pur- 



SALMON IND USTRY. 313 

suit than did the green waters of the Sacramento. 
Soon after this decision, " of which he said nothing 
to his partners," he seemed to find himself in need 
of a short vacation, and proposed a few days' travel 
northward as an inviting change. In due time he 
was oif to Astoria. Here a few visions of the 
beautiful fish crowding " Chinook Bay " convinced 
him that the Columbia was the king of salmon 
streams. In it he saw " millions," both of fish and 
money. He discovered, also, that in flavor and 
quality they excelled the salmon of California. 
During his career on both ocean coasts, Mr. Hume 
had made the acquaintance of men from almost 
every known salmon haunt of the w^orld, and from 
them had gained a good idea of their extent and 
value. This knowledge enabled him to form a 
prophecy very favorable to the Columbia. These 
points settled, his vacation ended as suddenly as it 
began, and back he sped to acquaint his partners 
with his discovery. It was soon determined that a 
beginning should be made in the new field, and 
1868 found the brothers actively canning salmon on 
the " Great River of the West." 

Mr. William Hume established himself at Eagle 
Cliff, an advantageous point on the Washing- 
ton Territory side, several hours by steam above 
Astoria. There ever since his home has been. 
Eagle Cliff, allow us to say in parenthesis, presents 
a fine bit of Columbia scenery. On the river biink 



314 OREGON. 

stands a spacious cannery, of which Mr. Hume is 
the owner, with its staunch dock for steamers. 
Back from this, some rods, on an uneven plateau, is 
his residence, filled with sunshine by Mrs. Hume, 
however dark the day. Beyond the cottage and its 
surrounding of green trees rises a perpendicular 
wall of basalt several hundred feet high. Sweeping 
back from the river in the form of a semicircle it 
leaves acreage for several dwellings and the buildings 
tributary to the cannery. The spot is one of the 
most notable on the Lower Columbia. 

Mr. Hume is over fifty years of age, is of me- 
dium height, has a sturdy figure, dark gray hair, 
coal-black eyes, and a fresh complexion. Public 
statement makes him wealthy. He is attached to 
the beautiful salmon, and says he has never taken 
one for mere pleasure. He thinks " there should 
be a law limiting salmon-fishing to five days of the 
week, during the season, and prohibiting it alto- 
gether on Saturdays and Sundays," thus lessening 
their wanton capture. 

Mr. George Hume, whose cannery at Astoria 
adjoins that of his brother in that city, retired from 
active business, some time ago, in shattered health. 
He however retains a heavy interest in the trade, 
both here and on the Sacramento. 

In former years, when these men were operating 
with little or no competition in the trade, a single 
case of their salmon, containing forty-eight one- 



SALMO^' IND USTR Y. 31 o 

pouiul cans each, sold for sixteen dollars in j^old. 
Last year the estimated price of Columbia River 
salmon was $4.50 per case. The annnal pack in 
Mr. PInme's establishment, for the past five years, 
has ranged from twenty-six to thirty thousand cases. 
And to-day there are abont forty-five firms and 
single parties engaged in the bnsiness on the 
Colnrabia, twenty-two of which operate at Astoria, 
and are located along the miles of river-brink in- 
clnded within the limits of the historic little city, 
several of them possessing facilities equaling, if not 
rivaling, those of Mr. Hume. These facts give an 
idea of the immense amount of the valuable fish 
annually taken from this river. Above Astoria 
there are probably four or five canneries, including 
tiiat at Eagle Cliff. One or two firms send their 
entire pack abroad, marketing no goods in this 
country. 

Between Astoria and the mouth of the Colum- 
bia, a distance of fifteen miles, the stream expands 
into "Chinook Bay," with an average breadth of 
about five miles. This bay is pre-eminently salmon 
territory. Here, close within the bar especially, 
are caught, as they come sailing in from the main, 
a large proportion of the handsome fish. They are 
on their way up to the fresh-water tributaries of 
the Columbia where their spawning takes place. 
The present United States Fish Commissioner is 
reported to be of the opinion that the salmon, once 



316 



OREGON. 



ascended to the fresh water streams, never returns. 
It journeys onward as long as strength endures, 
and there is water in which to float. Then it de- 
posits its spawn and dies. But in due time their 



^iM 



i^ 





Salmon-Fishing. 

minnows, led by instinct, travel down to a home in 
the salt water. 

The " Chinook salmon " is the salmon par excel- 
lence, of the Columbia, and forms the prime brand 
of every prominent firm. Chinook Bay is the the- 
ater, also, on which are lost the lives of scores of 
the salmon-fishers. Great difference of opinion 
exists as to the number annually drowned. ]\[r. 
Hume puts it at fifty or more, while Mr. M. J. 
Kinney, of the Astoria Packing Company, places it 



SALMON IND USTR Y. 317 

much below this. Mr. Tallant, of the Cutting 
Packing Company, iVoni whom many of the facts. 
given in this chapter were obtained, states that, 
tluring a period of nine years in the business, his 
firm has lost but one man, and not a single boat. 
Habits of drinking and inexperience in handling 
the boats are the leading causes of drowning. If, 
with a swift river-current running to sea, and 
gigantic breakers rolling inward, the men approach 
too near the bar when in a state of intoxication, 
their doom is almost certain. The surf sweeps them 
out into the great deep. 

As a class, the salmon-fishers are a low order 
of men. They represent every nation on the globe. 
Having neither fixed abode nor regular occupation, 
they migrate from place to place as work offers, or 
as impulse or hunger drives. The w^orthiest among 
them are the Fins, Swedes, Russians, and Nor- 
wegians. Fishers by profession and choice, and not 
from necessity, they have their families in or near 
Astoria, send their children to the })ublic schools, 
own real estate in the vicinity, and make worthy 
citizens. On the contrary, the Italians and Por- 
tuguese are the rovers, the 'longshore-men of the 
calling. Since they were born they have haunted 
some water's edge. Not a picayune have they, in- 
vested in boats, or nets, or home. Not theirs is 
the loss, if boats or nets are lost. 

The packers consider it money in their jiockets 



318 OREGON. 

if the fishermen own the nets they use, as numbers 
of the better class do, having j)aid the firms for them 
in fish. Stealing them then ceases to be profitable, 
and destrojnng them becomes expensive. 

The salmon fleet of the Columbia numbers be- 
tween fifteen hundred and two thousand boats, with 
two men for each boat; thus are three thousand 
men employed in good seasons. 

A salmon net is an article of no trifling interest. 
Two hundred pounds of twine will construct a net 
forty-five meshes deep, each mesh being nine inches 
square. Tlie best material made in this country for 
the purpose is a cord called " Barbour's twine," 
manufactured at Patersou, New Jersey. Such is 
the strength of the material that a single thread 
will sustain a strain of one hundred and seventy-six 
pounds. The cord is made of Irish flax, brought 
over in an undressed state, and therefore free of 
duty. Imported in the form of twine the impost 
would be forty per cent. The thread is composed 
of twelve subordinate filaments, and must be exceed- 
ingly flexible, else the sensitive salmon will not 
enter the net. It is therefore very slack twisted, 
but a single turn of the wheel being given to an 
inch of the cord. During the season a boiling 
solution of tan is poured over the nets every two 
weeks. This both cleanses them and imparts a 
color, which, in the daytime, prevents the cautious 
fish from perceiving the snare set for its capture. 



SALMON IXDVSTR Y. 319 

In most, if not all the canneries on the Colum- 
bia, Chinese, under the direction of an American 
superintendent, are employed to do the work. The 
proceeding embraces not less than twelve or fifteen 
different steps, and at some stages requires great 
skill and celerity. To such labors the lithe Celes- 
tial is well adapted. He is attentive, prompt, exact, 
faithful, and silent. Garrulous as a parrot usually 
among his countrymen, he becomes speechless when 
set to precise tasks, especially when his wages are 
proportioned to the amount of work he does. As 
witnessed in the house of the Cutting Packing 
Company yesterday, the process of canning exceeded 
in rapidity any thing I had ever seen outside of large 
brush-making establishments in the East. All the 
operations were in progress in one vast room, from 
the receiving the fish from the boats just in with 
their night catch, to the removing the cans full of 
cooked salmon from their cooling bath to the pack- 
ing-room. 

Perfect cooking is the all-important step in the 
canning of salmon. Failure in this particular in- 
sures fermentation and total loss of the goods. The 
process is conducted in about the following manner: 
A tea-spoonful of salt is first dropped into the can. 
Then a strip of salmon, in width equal to the height 
of the can, is cut crosswise of the fish, rolled up and 
placed endwise in the can, in a raw state. The cans 
are then covered, crimped, soldered, and boiled in 



320 OREGON. 

large irou tanks, one hour, by steam heat. From 
this they are removed, and placed for another hour 
in a vast cylindrical retort, kept steadily heated to 
a temperature of 133°. This step cooks the bones, 
an absolute necessity for the preservation of the 
food. Taken from the retorts, the cans are cooled 
off, cleansed of oil, lacquered, labeled, packed, every 
act in the jM'ocess being intensely interesting. 

In most establishments scrupulous cleanliness 
marks every advance in the work. Mr. Hume 
abhors dirt as nature does a vacuum. Every imple- 
ment, tank, and table used, as well as the floors and 
the hands of the Chinamen, must many times a day 
test the efficacy of cold water. So extreme are his no- 
tions, that even the new cans are thoroughly washed 
and wiped before they are used. Yet, if such a thing 
be possible, Mr. Hume is surpassed in this virtue by 
Mr. Kinney, of the Astoria Company. In this 
house not even the odor offish could be detected at 
the hour of my unexpected call yesterday morning. 
Therefore, " searching for dirt" in goods bearing 
the brand of either of these establishments will be 
labor thrown away by the housewives. 

The salmon season begins with April and closes 
with the month of July. At its commencement the 
business in some canneries is let out in departments 
by contract to experienced and responsible China- 
men. These engage their own helpers, pay them 
by the piece, and drive them as with the whip. 



SALMON IND VSTR Y. 321 

Each subordinate supervises his squad of men, 
works himself like a Trojan, and is held respon- 
sible for faultless results. Twelve firms on the 
Columbia are this year conducting their business on 
this plan. 

There were taken out of this stream last year 
six hundred and twenty thousand cases of salmon, 
of forty-eight cans each. This season complaints 
of a light run are general. Consequently the mar- 
kets will be lightly stocked. And one result of 
this state of things, which will by no means be un- 
welcome to the packers, will be an increase in the 
price of the valuable food next year. 



XXXV. 

Some op nATUr^B's 0)astei^pib6bs in 
niHB Cascade I^angb. 



EARLY in the morning, some two months ago, 
I entered a coach of the South Pacific Coast 
Railway, in the city of the Holy Cross, California, 
bound to San Francisco. Barely were the few 
passengers seated, when, as an introduction to the 
trip, off darted the train into one of the dark tun- 
nels by which that road pierces the Santa Cruz 
Mountains. Emerging from that, there followed 
three hours ride amid scenery which silenced every 
tongue, and lifted our thoughts to the Almighty 
Mountain-builder. As we climbed toward the sum- 
mit of the chain, there reached our ears, from the 
deep gorges on either side, just enough of the buz- 
zing of saw-mills, of the gurgle of running water, to 
relieve the oppressive stillness. Once or twice the 
form of a woman or of a little child, in the doorway 
of a lumberman's cabin along the way, spoke mutely 
of the joys of home. Upward we climbed, now dash- 
ing across streams talking merrily far below us; 
DOW spinning along between high mountains clothed 
with tall firs. Finally, the summit gained, down- 
ward we flew over a zigzag track, and soon swept 

out into the lovely valley of Santa Clara. 
322 



IX THE CASCADE RANGE. 



323 



The previous work I had spent a day among the 
thousand cones of the Second Coast Range, for 
hours held enchained by the buildings, telescopes, 
and other wonders of Mount Hamilton. A few 
months preceding, I had crossed the Tehatchapi 




A Home in the Mountains. 



Chain, fiiraous for its railroad loops, and there, for 
the first time in my life, had witnessed that beauti- 
ful sight, a snow-storm, robing in white, elevations 
towering hundreds of feet above my head, but 
wasting not a flake upon the mad train on wliicli 1 
sped through the sublime scenery. A little prior 
to this, I had made my way, for sixteen miles, into 
a wild canon of the Santiago Mountains, half the 



324 OREGON. 

journey being performed after sunset. Beside me, 
in the light wagon, rode a cultured daughter of an 
old California family. Our goal was her mountain 
home. Hours before we reached the spot, darkness 
settled down upon the crooked road. Only the 
horses could see. Now we dashed across a stony 
creek. Now the branches of the trees switched our 
faces. Savage dogs bayed at us from the yards of 
the two or three cottages by the way. At last a 
bright light beamed through the gloom. One more 
turn in the road. Another crossing of the creek. 
Then a young Mexican stepped out from among the 
trees to take charge of the team. In a cooking- 
stove, under a spreading oak near by, glowed a hot 
fire, a beacon for Santiago owls and night-bugs. On 
one griddle stood a tea-kettle, singing a mountain 
lay. Soon we were taking tea, before the open fire 
in the little sitting-room. Then followed tales of 
early days in California — then sound sleep. To- 
day, twelve hundred miles north of that home in 
the canon, I am sailing on the quiet Columbia, 
amid the wonders of the Cascade Range, as pleased 
with the grand sights, as if I had never before 
beheld the like. 

We left Portland this morning at seven, on the 
steamer Dixie Thompson. An hour brought us down 
the Willamette to its junction with the great river. 
At that spot lay a scene lovely as the morning itself. 
Standing well above the water in front of us were 



IN THE CASCADE RANGE. 325 

two small islands, fringed to their margin with al- 
ders, willows, and young cottonwood. Beyond them 
gleamed the Columbia, over a mile wide at that 
point. On our right, gliding up a narrow bayou, 
was a canoe, propelled by two of Oregon's nut- 
brown sons. Both banks of the Willamette talked 
outright in their bright green. Upon all fell a 
brilliant sunlight. Over all arched a cloudless 
sky. Ere we had half taken in the picture, the 
Thompson turned a V-shaped point of land, swept 
out into the Columbia, and headed eastward. 

Six miles above us, now, on the Washington 
side, rose the spires of Vancouver, a pleasant little 
town of about a thousand people, and the supply 
depot for the Military Department of the Columbia. 
It contains an arsenal, barracks for troops, and 
residences for officers. The place is noted for its 
inviting drives and handsome location, the latter 
being a gentle grade extending perhaps a quarter of 
a mile back from the river, and crowned with fine 
dwellings. From its crest may be obtained a grand 
view of the Columl)ia and of the Oregon country be- 
yond. In 1853 the honored soldier who now sleeps 
quietly in Riverside Park was in command at this 
fort. As I write, one tells me that during that year he 
was promoted to the rank of captain and transferred 
to Fort Humboldt, in Northern California. At 
dinner-table, on the steamer, his eminent services 

and painful illness were the theme of conversation. 

28 




Rooster Rock and The Needles. 



IN THE CASCADE RANGE. 327 

The captain had known him as Lieutenant Grant, 
if I remember correctly. 

Leaving Vancouver, the Thompson soon ap- 
proached the point where the river emerges from 
its grand gorge in the Cascade Range, and before 
noon we had stupendous scenery on either side, 
nearly every mile contributing some object of 
special interest. 

" Do you see that lofty rock rising out of the 
water, just ahead, on the Oregon side?" asked the 
purser, a young man from Chicago, as we turnetl 
away from Vancouver. 

" Yes," answered the parties addressed — a lady 
and gentlemen from New Haven, Connecticut, on 
their way to Yellowstone Park, and but recently 
from the " Grand Canon of the Colorado." 

" Well, that is Rooster Rock, one of the mar- 
vels of the Columbia. We shall pass it close on 
our left." 

The " marvel " is a column of dark basalt, of ir- 
regular conical shape, resting on the bed of the river 
sixty feet below the surface, and rising probably one 
hundred and fifty feet above the surging water. 
The powerful current must have spent ages in hewing 
the staunch shaft into its present shape. " Looks 
it like a rooster?" No. It has not the slightest 
resemblance to one, but the top offers an admirable 
place from which to crow, could INIr. Gall us but 
reach it. Near hy is another mass of rock, which 







328 



Cape Horn, Columbia River. . 



IN THE CASCADE RANGE. 329 

answers very well for a hen, and scattered about are 
smaller ones, very suitable for chickens ; thus is 
the spot supplied with a whole family of the do- 
mestic fowl. 

Passing over now to the Washington side, the 
steamer soon rounded " Cape Horn," a splendid 
aggregation of columnar basalt, rising almost perpen- 
dicularly from the water to a height of eight hun- 
dred or a thousand feet, and " revealing the succes- 
sive overflows of lava by which the peaks of the 
Cascades were built up during the Miocene period." 
From the Cape onward, the mighty stream wound 
this way and that, until we had passed the Cascades, 
one hundred and sixty-five miles from its mouth. 
On either side towered mountains with summits 
from three to five thousand feet above us, in many 
instances showing almost sheer perpendicular sides. 
A mere glance at them made one dizzy. Words can 
convey no idea of the splendid succession of cliffs, 
cones, columns, water-falls, and bits of sweet val- 
ley scenery, visible from the deck of the steamer — 
by far the most satisfactory mode of seeing these 
wonders of the Columbia. The Oregon Railway 
and Navigation Company's road from Portland to 
Walla Walla, in South-eastern Washington, runs up 
tlie Oregon side of the river from near Rooster 
Rock to Dalles City, above the Cascades, and from 
the car-windows aflPords many fine views of the 
scenery; still, the water route is infinitely preferable. 



330 OREGON. 

Yet better than either is both. Eeader, you may 
some day come to the coast. Make the gorge of 
the Columbia yours forever, by seeing it from car- 
seat and from steamer's deck, as the writer did. 

Dinner was in progress when the purser an- 
nounced : " We are passing the Multnomah Fall." 
Instantly we were outside. Among the Oregon 
peaks, close against the dark rocks, and pouring 
from a perilous height, appeared a broad ribbon of 
foam, but so distant that much of its beauty was 
lost. However, upon returning by cars two days 
later I had the pleasure of standing so near the 
beautiful object that the spray therefrom might have 
sprinkled my face. The train halted a few rods in 
front of it, and twenty minutes were allowed for a 
climb up the rough path leading to the wonder. 
The total length of the fall is not quite nine hundred 
feet. From the top it pours straight down an un- 
broken descent of eight hundred feet into a tiny 
basin, which its ceaseless action for centuries has 
scooped out of the solid rock. From the basin it 
makes another plunge of nearly one hundred feet. 
Before reaching the receptacle, the upper fall becomes 
a column of feathery foam, often swayed by the 
wind, and glorified by the sun. It rivets your gaze. 
It talks to you. But you can 't talk back. When 
the engineer rings his bell you wish — only for a 
moment — that locomotives had not been invented. 

Farther up the stream, on the Oregon side, turn- 



7.V THE CASCADE RAXGE. 



331 




J.'I'j.tr.omah Fall, Oregon. 



bles the Oneonta Fall, scarcely less beautiful, not 
accessible, but visible from the boats. Twice in a 



332 OREGON. 

descent of "about a thousand feet" is its flow 
broken by jutting rocks. Away back in cramped 
canons are caught, from the steamer's deck, bright 
views of other falls, also rolling down from dizzy 
altitudes. 

Arriving at the Lower Cascade, the Thompson 
drew up to a diminutive station-house on the Wash- 
ington bank. Here the passengers were transferred 
to a queer little railway car, attached to a pocket 
platform car for freight and baggage, with a Lilli- 
putian engine in front of both. No sooner were 
we seated than away darted the whole concern, 
twisting in and out among rocks and trees, to an- 
other station above the Upper Cascade, a distance 
of six miles. Here, leaving the infant train, we 
re-embarked on a new, clean, nicely furnished little 
steamer for Dalles City, forty-one miles above. 

In the "Cascades" we were disappointed. Na- 
ture has there "photographed her work down " until 
it takes an exceedingly lively imagination to pre- 
ceive cascades at all. There is far too little tumble 
and foam of water. Too few ragged rocks are 
thrown about, and deeply notched ledges came near 
being forgotten. Still she has put things in such 
confusion that it will consume millions of money 
from the United States Treasury to repair the mis- 
chief. The unobstructed navigation of a great 
water-way, penetrating the heart of a vast country 
as does the Columbia, is a matter of exceeding im- 



IN THE CASCADE RANGE. 



333 



portance to the people. The Government realizes 
this, and has therefore begun at the Cascades the 
eonstructlon of a 
canal with locks, 
which, when fin- 
ished, will enable 
steamers to pro- 
ceed directly to 
Dalles City. Ru- 
mor says that two 
millions of money 
and seven years of 
labor have already 




" Bright Yiev.'s of other Falla." 
been expended upon the work, and yet is it far from 
completion. Farmers and business men living all 
over the "Inland Empire" are impatient for the 



29 



334 OREGON. 

end, realizig that cheaper transportation for its 
products will draw to the rich region both capital 
and enterprise. 

Sonne miles above the Cascades, the captain, 
coming down from the pilot-house, said to us : 
"Just around that point we are approaching, you 
will obtain the finest view of Mount Hood to be 
had on the Columbia." So, stepping to the Oregon 
side of the boat, we waited the opportune moment. 
Now — twenty miles distant stood the dead volcano, 
full in view, wrapped in immaculate snow, glistening 
like burnished silver in the sunlight, stretching 
above all the stately summits around. 

"And now," once more questioned the courteous 
captain, " do you see that lofty hill, just here on 
the left? Right there Bierstadt sketched his great 
picture of Mount Hood. He was charmed with the 
view of the old fellow from that point. But step 
here. Look down the river. Do you see? That 
gives you the finest view on the Columbia. Every 
year artists come up here to sketch that scene. 

We turned to see. On either side the river, for 
a long way, the grand elevations appeared as if 
dovetailed together ; yet by their configuration 
could the windings of the vast gorge be traced for 
miles. It was a suggestive scene, in perfect repose, 
but full of might. Manifold were its lines of beauty. 
Other than the most skillful brush would fail to 
put it on canvas. In that neighborhood the Salmon 



33G OREGON. 

River flows into the Columbia, on the Washington 
side. A glance up the rift it has made in the ever- 
lasting hills, shows Mount Adams's white head, 
thirty miles away. 

The captain, very desirous that we should see all 
the points of interest, next called our attention to 
" Memalose Island," a small basalt body, in view, 
on the left. On the margin, facing us, appeared a 
modest monument of white marble. It marks the 
resting-place of one Victor Trevett, an eccentric 
Oregon pioneer, who left the shores of time some 
two years ago, in San Francisco. Mr. Trevett had 
a knowledge of Memalose Island. He had also a 
lively fear lest his body should some time be disin- 
terred, if consigned to the earth in any of the cem- 
eteries of San Francisco ; so he charged his rela- 
tives to deposit it on this islet, where, he believed, 
its rest would remain unbroken until the end of 
time. They obeyed him, and here he lies, far 
enough from 'i that bad city" to escape any dread- 
ful doom that may overtake it. But Mr. Trevett 
sleeps not alone here. Long before a pale-face 
propelled a canoe on the Columl)ia, the Indians of 
the region were accustomed to bring hither, from 
long distances sometimes, their deceased relatives, 
and place them inside small, low houses, built up 
loosely of poles. Here they moldered back to dust, 
the wild winds which drive down the gorge hav- 
ing free access to them, and in time scattering that 



338 OREGON. 

dust upon river and mountain. One house filled, 
they erected another. And to-day as we sail by we 
count five of these well-aired tombs. Very difFer- 
ont are the memorials set up by the two races. 
Will they at all afifect the (^ase of the dead when 
the loud trumpet shall sound? Memalose is the 
Indian for " Island of the Dead." 

But while I have been making these notes, 
island and tombs have receded from sight. Look- 
ing up, I find the Columbia flowing between foot- 
hills lessening in height every mile. Now the great 
Cascade Range is behind us. Before us stretches 
the vast Columbia Basin. It is six o'clock, evening. 
A half-hour later the steamer sets us ashore in 
Dalles City, two hundred and six miles from the 
Pacific, and about two-tliird the distance across the 
State of Oregon. The Columbia is a deep, rapid 
stream, thirteen hundred miles long, and navigable 
for steamers of but ordinary size, only to the above 
point. Its source is the Columbia I^akes in the 
Rocky Mountains, nearly four thousand feet above 
sea-level. It is tlic largest river in the United 
States flowing into the Pacific. 



XXXVI. 

In the Columbia Basin. 



M 



Y destination being Walla Walla, in the ex- 
treme south-eastern corner of Washingtoii Ter- 
ritory, and the train from Portland thither being 
due at nine in the evening, there were two hours 
and a half to be whiled away in Dalles City as best 
one could. I determined, therefore, as did my Con- 
necticut friends, to walk about the jilace and ascer- 
tain what of interest it contained. 

We found its popukition to be about thirty- 
three hundred, and its location, on a gentle incline 
extending from the great river back to a range of 
low hills, very pleasant indeed. Climbing to the 
top of these hills by the flights of steps and little 
bridges, provided by the citizens that the outlook 
may be enjoyed, we were well rewarded for our 
eifort. Beyond the hills, eastward, stretches— coun- 
try, endless country. Everywhere is vastness, vast- 
ness of prairie on one hand, vastness of mountains 
on the other. 

The banks of the Columbia being nowhere 
crowded with inhabitants, not even where the hills 
recede from them sufficiently for the purpose, Dalles 
City is the largest and most im))ortant point at 

•itu 



•AA^tl 



340 . OREGOX. 

which steamers stop after leaving Vancouver. It 
publishes two newspapers; contains four or five 
neat churches; displays a fine new school-house, 
much ahead of present necessities as to accommo- 
dations; exhibits numerous tasteful dwellings, em- 
bowered in a great deal of shade for a treeless region ; 
presents a number of sniall stores and shops; and 
has a spacious, well-conducted hotel, called the 
Umatilla House. Its dining-room, in respect to 
size, is modeled after the Columbia Basin, and was 
no doubt planned in anticipation of an immense 
through travel from "the States." But in the dis- 
tance we descry the head-light of the train from 
Portland. So we bid the bright little town at the 
western gateway of the Inland Empire good- 
night. We are off for \Yalla Walla, distant an all- 
night's ride. 

There have always existed small towns, whose 
name and fame have, for peculiar reasons, extended 
far beyond their natural limits. Walla Walla is 
such a town. I have read of it ever since I can 
remember. Indeed, it was in print before it had 
being. Its settlement began in 1839. Three things, 
if no more, have conduced to its reputation. First, 
a hero and his wife — Dr. and Mrs. Whitman — fixed 
their abode near the place as early as 1837. Second, 
the occurrence of a terrible tragedy on the site of 
that abode, in which fifteen persons lost their lives 
ten vears later, rendered the name a household 



IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN. 841 

word ill missionary circles east of the INIississippi. 
Tlien followed the discovery that the soil of the 
region was finely adapted to the raising of cereals, 
wheat especially, excellent in quality, surprising in 
quantity. This sent its name across the seas, and 
to-day " Walla -Walla wheat" is known in the 
grain-markets of the world. Walla \\'al]:i has 
also long been a military station for holding the 
Indians in subjection. It contains the customary 
arsenal, quarters for soldiers, and dwellings for 
officers. 

Walla Walla lies six miles north of the boundary- 
line of Oregon, in the county and valley of liiat 
name. It stands near the center of the immense 
district drained by the Columbia and its tributaries 
east of the Cascade Range. Mountain chains hem 
the region on the east, south, and west, as does a 
series of step]>es, hills, and sunnnits on the north. 
The soil of the vast area is composed chiefly of dis- 
integrated basalt, or pulverized ashes and scorise, 
and is the product of the overflows of the long 
ernj)tive volcanoes of the Cascade Range. It is of 
great depth, and inexhaustibly fertile. For years it 
was considered worthless for other than grazing pur- 
poses, except in certain valley situations, ^^'ll(•n 
the settlers became too numerous to draw bread from 
these valleys, it was discovered, almost accidentally, 
that the entire section would produce bountifully, 
not only the grains, but the chief fruits of our zone 



IN THE COLUMBIA BASIX. 343 

incliiiliiiii; all the favorite berries. Growing grapes 
for raisins has l)eeii attempted slightly, if at all. 
The wine varieties thrive well. Wheat, however, is 
the great staple. 

Heretofore the variety known as"elul) wheat" 
has been generally raised. It offers a particular ad- 
vantage, in that the chaff does not open and lose 
the berry, a material consideration in a land where, 
the rain-fall being light, the crop may stand until 
harvesting is convenient. But experiments con- 
ducted during the past two or three years with 
Scotch Fife wheat, indicate that it will exceed 
in production the variety now grown by about 
twenty-nine per cent. It also makes a flour likely 
to be more acceptable to the market. It has been 
estimated that the average yield of wheat per acre 
in the Columbia Basin is seventy-seven per cent 
greater than that of any other wheat section in the 
United States. 

Mr. H. P. Isaacs, a gentleman extensively en- 
gaged in the manufacture of flour in Walla Walla 
and at Prescott, forty-one miles distant, claims that 
it will tax the utmost carrying capacity of the Ore- 
gon Railway and Navigation Company's road for 
one year, to convey the present season's crop to 
Portland — practically the sea-board. He places the 
harvest at from two and a half to three million 
tons. The size of the berry this year is remarkable. 
Mr. Isaacs has Ion": resided in \\':\lla \\':i!l:i, ;ind 



344 OREGON. 

affirms that any man who chooses to settle in that 
valley, bringing with him good health, strict 
economy, and ordinary business sagacity will in a 
few years become well-to-do, though coming with 
but small capital. 

Along the western slope of the Blue Mountains, 
bounding the Walla-Waila Valley on the east, may 
be seen to-day eighty miles of continuous wheat- 
fields, lying all golden under the blight sun. Yes- 
terday afternoon Miss Bessie Isaacs, a young lady 
of rare intelligence and good sense, drove me to a 
point where I could see vast acres of this yellow 
grain. Looking at the scene, it occurred to me 
that not far away are the new gold-mines of Union 
County, Oregon, over which the journalists of the 
State appear to be losing their heads just now, and 
that editorial ivisdom and eloquence would be better 
expended in liberally advocating wheat-mining 
instead. 

The climate of the Walla- Walla Valley — I quote 
one of its citizens — resembles that of Sicily. Situ- 
ated east of the Cascades, and one thousand feet 
above the sea, the atmosphere is both warmer and 
dryer than that of the Willamette Valley, which 
lies at sea-level, and is often invaded by fogs. In 
Summer, particularly at midday, the mercury some- 
times registers a high temperature, but the evenings 
and nights are always agreeably cool. From per- 
sonal experience the writer can say, that at noon 



TN THE COLUMBIA BASIN. 345 

to-day an almost tropical fervor prevailed; but at 
sunset a fine breeze sprung up, and after tea, when 
Miss Isaacs drove me to the train, for return to 
Portland, warm wraps were comfortable. 

The editor of the Walla Walla Union, writing 
on climatology in the Columbia Basin, says of this 
valley : In Winter it is not uncommon for the mer- 
cury to fall to zero for a night or two, but as a rule 
it plays between ten and forty degrees above, not 
infrequently rising to sixty and remaining there 
for days together. Fifty-five degrees is the average 
temperature of the whole Columbia Basin. The 
average annual rain-fall of the Walla Walla district 
is sixteen inches. The amount of snow-fall varies 
with the seasons. Ordinarily farmers do not feed 
their stock in Winter, the sage-brush and the nu- 
tritious bunch-grass affording them ample proven- 
der; yet in every Winter there are days when 
feeding must be done. 

The small city of Walla Walla contains too many 
newspapers and churches. Of the former, there are 
three daily and five weekly, all pushing for more 
subscribers. Of churches, there are eight or nine. 
One edifice, built a few years since, by donations 
solicited in the East, stands with doors closed, be- 
cause, as said my informant, " there is really no 
need of its existence." This means, not that the 
Gospel has no mission to accom|»lish in the place, 
nor that the people will not listen to preaching, but 



346 OREGON. 

that too many denominations have attempted to gain 
a foot-hold in the community. Is not this feature 
noticeable in almost every one of the young towns 
which dot the wide West? Would not the people 
be fully as upright and intelligent were there fewer 
churches and journals? As things are, both agen- 
cies are making a desperate struggle to live. I am 
deeply pained whenever I see a half-dozen hand- 
fuls of Christ's people resorting to suppers, concerts, 
fairs, tableaux, and even dramatic readings, to main- 
tain for each a pastor and church services. In that 
sublime seventeenth chapter of John, the Savior 
prayed that his followers might all be one. Why? 
" That the world may know that thou hast sent me." 
Divided Christian strength and forces, on our fron- 
tiers, where wickedness usually concentrates, is a state 
of things quite to the devil's liking. Moreover he 
is never much alarmed when the Lord's children 
are absorbed in giving entertainments. 

Perhaps a word of explanation needs to be said 
with reference to Walla -Walla. Five years ago, 
when the Northern Pacific Railway was striding 
toward completion, every interest in the Columbia 
Basin expanded, in the imaginations of the people, 
to abnormal proportions. Caught in that cyclone 
of enthusiasm, Walla Walla laid foundations for 
metropolitan size. Barely, however, had the last 
spike been driven ere "the enterprise collnpsed with 
appalling results, for a time, to the North-west.'^ 



IX THE COLUMBIA BASIX. Ml 

Some time after the shock the little city straight- 
ened iicr.sclf up, looked around upon her miles of 
rich wheat land, and concluded all was not lost. 
But some of the unnecessary things which then 
came in, she still retains. 

The place has important railroad connections 
east and west, with two or more local lines penetrating 
productive sections at a distance. Its schools are 
excellent, including Whitman College, now coming 
forward as the pioneer institution for higher learn- 
ing in Eastern Washington. The college is one of 
the outgrowths of heroic missionary endeavor begun 
among the Indians of this Basin fifty years ago. 
The college is intended as a monument to Dr. 
Whitman and his wife, who, as already mentioned, 
were ])ut to death at Waulatpu, six miles from AValla 
Walla, in 1S47, by the people they came to serve. 
Dr. Whitman was a num of dauntless spirit, of in- 
vincible energy. Their journey to Oregon, in 1837, 
was accomplished in the face of the most formidable 
difficulties, the tran.sit of the Rocky Mountains be- 
ing effected by a new trail, and heartily opposed by 
the Hudson Bay Company, then arrogating to itself 
control of all this north-western country. Dr. and 
Mrs. Whitman were accompanied by a Mr. and 
Mrs.* Spaulding, also missionaries and recently mar- 
ried. The two ladies were the first white women 
who crossed the Rocky Mountains into Oregon, thus 
leading the long column of cfjually devoted wives, 



348 OREGON. 

who, in after years, came to the North-west over 
the perilous way. Here, on this then fruitless plain, 
did that little pioneer band take the initiative step 
in establishing the arts of peace, now flourishing on 
every hand. Here opened they the way for this 
thriving village; for this nucleus of a university for 
the " Inland Empire;" for the eighty miles of ripen- 
ing wheat this day fringing the distant Blue Hills. 

Some histories of the North-west give to Dr. 
Whitman the credit of rendering the following re- 
markable service to his country. Others, with 
apparent justice, deny him the honor. Out of this 
difference of opinion has sprung a lively controversy 
among local writers, and some warm feeling, partic- 
ularly on the part of the friends of Dr. Whitman. 
Happily, it matters little to him, now sleeping quietly 
at Waulatpu, who "saved Oregon to the United 
States." The story is interesting, and, lacking time 
and opportunity to verify claims, were it possible to 
be done, I append here the version of the matter 
generally accepted in the locality where Dr. Whit- 
man lived and died. 

In the Winter of 1842, while on a visit to Fort 
Vancouver, then a British military and supply sta- 
tion, Dr. Whitman obtained evidence which he re- 
garded as positive that the English were quietly 
planning to take possession of " all Oregon," as our 
present portion of the Pacific North-west was then 
called, by introducing actual British settlers, a con- 



IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN. 349 

siderable company of whom were then on their way 
to the Territory. Dr. Whitman at once resolved to 
frustrate the scheme. Promptly returning to Wau- 
latpu, he related his discovery to other members 
of the mission, and arranged for an immediate de- 
parture to Washington. It was midwinter, and 
the perils of the way were appalling. But mounting 
his horse he set out, and successfully accomplished 
the feat. Appearing at the Capital, he so impressed 
upon Daniel Webster, then Secretary of State, the 
importance of retaining Oregon, as to thwart, so it 
is claimed, negotiations then pending with England 
for its exchange for a comparatively unimportant 
fishing territory off our north-eastern coast. 

This mission accomplished, the intrepid man 
quickly retraced his steps to St. Louis, where he 
accepted the leadership of a large party of emi- 
grants already under way for Oregon, and success- 
fully conducting them across the mountains by the 
route over which he had twice passed, he brought 
them into the Territory in advance of the English 
company, himself and his party thus taking pos- 
session of the now immensely valuable region for 
the United States. Dr. Whitman accomplished his 
great feat in the short space of eleven months. 

On the 29th of November, four years subse- 
quently, occurred the massacre of Dr. and Mrs. 
AVhitman and thirteen others i)y the Indians. The 

writer, then a child, remembers the thrill of horror 

30 



350 OREGON. 

excited among those interested in Indian missions 
when news of the dark deed reached the East. 
"For an entire week," said Mrs. Isaacs, speaking of 
the tragedy, " the dead lay unburied where they 
were slain, while fifty others were borne away as 
captives." 

Six miles before the train arrives at Walla 
Walla the train men announce " Whitman Station." 
Near at hand lies the scene of that painful deed. 
There rests the dust of the martyrs. In time a 
memento of stone will mark the spot ; but while 
that delays, Whitman College is rising, a nobler 
tribute to the self-denying missionaries. 




XXXVII. 

WHAT SHIS DID — HOW SHE DID IT. 



AS in the landscape, visible from the bluff which 
sweeps around Portland, there are a number 
of grand snow-cones which tower above the lesser 
summits of the Cascade Range, so within that city 
there live M-omen who, in talent, influence, and un- 
selfish labors for the race, rise above the common 
level of their sex in the community. Not more 
loving are they than other women, not more beau- 
tiful, not greater favorites in society; but in strong 
characteristics, in breadth of views, in versatility of 
gifts, in persistency of purpose, they surpass other 
women. They are women, not indifferent to criti- 
cism, but fearless of it. Must an unaccustomed 
course be taken, they stop not to inquire, "What 
will be said about it?" but take it. 

Of one such woman I desire to speak in this 
chapter — one who, in early days in Oregon, en- 
countered perils as varied as did the chief of the 
apostles in Minor Asia. If she fought not with 
wild beast in any Western Ephesus, nor was stoned, 
nor beaten with rods, nor passed nights nor days in 

the deep, she was certainly "in })crils among false 

351 



352 OREGON. 

brethren." She struggled with poverty, with ill- 
nesses, with disappointments, toiled night and day 
to support a large family, resisted fierce prejudices, 
was evil-spoken against, contended for years with 
those who were intolerant of innovations upon a 
long established, but unjust, order of things. 

One day in 1852 — possibly 1851 — there might 
have lieen seen filing out upon the prairie, from 
Peoria, Illinois, with faces set westward, a family 
of ten persons by the name of Scott. It consisted 
of the father, mother, two sons, and six daughters. 
The fame of the rich AVillamette Valley had reached 
their ears, and thither were they bound with all their 
worldly possessions. For some weeks there befell 
the company only the usual haps and mishaps inci- 
dent 'to transcontinental travel in that early day. 
No occasion for serious heartache occurred until 
the little band reached a point about sixty miles 
west of Fort Laramie. There the tender mother 
paused in the tiresome journey, and lay down to die 
amid the solitude of the Black Hills of Wyoming. 
Burying her by the roadside, the sorrowful group 
moved on, the eldest daughter taking the mother's 
place in the family. But trials never come singly. 
A few days later, the younger son, an interesting 
lad, added another to the long line of sleepers bor- 
dering the emigrant trail from St. Louis to the 
Valley of the Columbia. Their passage of the 
Rocky ISIountains was by a route nearly coincident 



A NOBLE WOMAN. 



853 



witli that adopted by Dr. Whitman, when piloting 
his long caravan of eight hundred settlers into the 
AValla Walla Valley in 1842. 

Abigail Scott, the second daughter, naturally of 




Emigrants Crjasii.g i,a= I.Iountaina. 
a literary turn, was from the outset the scribe of 
the family, and recorded the events of the wearisome 
march. Preserved to this day, the pages of that 
record, in their force, clearness, and diction, fore- 
shadowed the noble service she has since rendered 



354 OREGON. 

the Pacific North-west with her pen. Her descrip- 
tion of the last vigils beside her dying brother, 
with the solemnities of night and of nature around 
them, is most vivid and touching, while her por- 
trayal of lighter events is very bright and amusing. 

In due time the residue of the family arrived in 
the Willamette Valley, and located at Albany, some 
eighty miles south of Portland. Not long after- 
ward the arguments of an excellent young man by 
the name of Duniway, convinced Abigail that taking 
his name would insure the happiness of both. They 
were married, and soon settled upon a farm, begin- 
ning their fortune-building, with youth, energy, and 
industry for capital. In the attempt the young wife 
shrank from no task. Naturally acquisitive, she 
made every stroke tell toward winning a home. 

As the years sped by there were born to them 
five sons and a daughter. For them all the young 
mother diligently washed, ironed, cooked, scrubbed, 
made and mended garments, and faithfully cared 
in illness. To this she usually added marketing 
the produce of the farm, and purchasing the sup- 
plies for the household. Thus passed nine years 
of unremitting labor. At their close, Mr. and 
Mrs. Duniway found themselves in circumstances 
of comparative ease. But now there occurred, so 
to speak, a business cyclone which swept away all 
their hard earnings with a stroke. A party for 
whom Mr. Duniway became responsible, failed to 



A NOBLE WOMAN. 355 

meet his obligations, and the fine farm met them 
for him. Thus were the ooiiplc set back to their 
starting-point, but with six more mouths to feed, 
six more bodies to clothe. Barely, however, had 
this blow fallen, when Mr. Duniway met with an 
accident which rendered him helpless for years. 
This threw upon the wife the total support of the 
family. She was equal to the emergency, and put 
forth the most heroic endeavors. 

Of the few occupations then open to women in 
Oregon, school-teaching was at once adopted by 
Mrs. Duniway, in addition to her domestic tasks. 
Preferring a public school, she passed the required 
examination, obtained a certificate of the first grade, 
and applied for the school at the village of Eugene, 
if I am correct. To her astonishment, the po- 
sition, with a salary more liberal than she had 
required, was given to a man who, a])plying for a 
certificate at the same time with herself, had re- 
ceived a testimonial of the second grade only, both 
himself and the directors being aware how deplor- 
able was her need. 

Did she now give up in despair? She was far 
too heroic to do that. Quickly arranging therefor, 
she- began private teaching; but the income from 
that source being inadequate, she added to her 
labors the keeping of boarders. These lines of 
work Mrs. Duniway pursued four years, day and 
night, performing prodigies of toil in the way of 



356 OREGON. 

washing, ironing, cooking, sewing, and at times saw- 
ing the wood. 

At the close of this period, to further increase 
her income became imperative. How could she 
do it? For years she had performed the labor 
of at least three strong women. The result was 
impaired health and an undermined constitution. 
Still left her were courage and versatile ability. 
Her course was soon shaped. Abandoning teaching, 
Mrs. Duniway removed her husband and little flock 
to Lafayette, a now thriving village some miles 
south of Portland, where she opened a millinery es- 
tablishment. The prevailing sentiment among men 
in Oregon in that day was intensely averse to a 
married woman's venturing beyond the precincts of 
home for employment. It was this generous notion 
which had closed to the struggling woman the door 
of the public school. Its next endeavor was to 
prevent her success in business. To that end vari- 
ous hindrances were thrown in her way. Never- 
theless she maintained her ground, and made some 
money. 

Meantime all these experiences had been laid 
up. Other women in Oregon had encountered the 
same difficulties. Was there no remedy? Must 
women toiling for bread for themselves and children 
be thwarted and overreached, and there be no re- 
dress? How read the laws of Oregon with refer- 
ence to such matters? questioned the woman. Said 



A NOBLE WOMAN. 357 

Mrs. Cook, her eldest sister, speaking of this period 
ill Mrs. Dtniiway's life: 

"■ From her girlhood Abigail had never been 
able to comprehend why a woman, doing the same 
work as a man, doing it as well, oftentimes better, 
should not receive the same considerate treatment, 
and the same compensation ; and from the time of 
her millinery enterprise her views crystallized rap- 
idly, bringing her to a turning point in life." 

Her attention having frequently been called 
and to the legal disabilities under which women 
lived in Oregon, Mrs. Duniway resolved to devote 
herself to efforts for their relief. The first token 
which the public eye observed of this new de- 
parture, was the deliberate selling out of her mil- 
linery establishment, and the purcliasing an outfit 
for a newspaper! Employing an experienced printer 
to superintend the mechanical work of the office, 
and assigning to her two eldest sons the task of 
setting the type, she herself took the editor's chair. 
On June 15, 1871, the first copy of The New North- 
west appeared in the field of journalism. Its me- 
chanical appearance, the character of its leading 
articles, the freshness of its news paragraphs, and the 
strength of its editorials placed the stranger sheet 
behind no journal of the State. And the womanly 
modesty, as well as force, with which the proprietor 
set fi)rth her reasons for — being a newspaper, 

elicited not a few congratulations from rival knights 

31 



358 OREGON. 

of the pen. But better had it been for school di- 
rectors, liquor-sellers, and some tradesnaen had they 
encouraged the woman to continue making bonnets. 

In her neat address to the public, Mrs. Duni- 
Avay made no definite reference to her purpose in 
founding The New Northwest, which was the ad- 
vocation of woman's suffrage, the most certain 
means, as she believed, of securing to her sex the 
legal redress so needful. Barely, however, was 
the new craft well under way than its mission 
was disclosed. From that moment, as she had ex- 
pected, there poured upon the head of the devoted 
Avoman a pitiless rain of red-hot articles from the 
pens of editors and other writers of the coast. Few 
women could have endured that long-continued 
scorching. But, as said one who but slightly, if at 
all, shared her opinions: *' There was abundant 
martyr material in her make-up, and she quailed 
not for a moment." 

Not long after The New Northwest entered the 
newspaper arena Susan B. Anthony visited Oregon. 
Upon meeting its editor, learning her views on the 
suffrage question, and finding she was an effective 
speaker, she urged her taking the platform in be- 
half of that cause. Mrs. Duniway was ready for 
this line of effort also, and soon became the rec- 
ognized leader of the suffrage ranks of the Pa- 
cific Coast. For fourteen years thereafter she 
left untried no proper endeavor to secure to the 



A NOBLE WOMAN. 359 

women of Oregon and Washington the privilege of 
the franchise. In Washington success has been 
partially attained, the women voting in certain cases. 
In Oregon her victories have been of another char- 
acter. By her influence has been effected an almost 
total revolution in the property laws of the State as 
pertaining to women, some of which Avere a dis- 
grace to its statute-books. Her efforts to this end 
have exceeded, it has been said, those of all other 
persons of the State combined. Formerly in Oregon 
the liquor-bills of a thriftless, intemperate husband 
could be made a lien upon the wages of a wife, 
even when earned by working out by the week. 
Mrs. Duniway determined this law should be re- 
pealed, and it was. Other similar enactments met 
with the same fate, or were so amended as to be 
unobjectionable. 

Fortunately, in the foreman of her printing es- 
tablishment Mrs. Duniway secured an honorable and 
a capable assistant. As her sons reached suitable age 
the mother put them to learning the printer's trade 
under his instructions, when not busy with their 
studies. To-day Mrs. Duniway has five sons who are 
not only accomplished practical printers, but young 
writers of experience and ability, and all devoting 
their energies in some capacity to The New Noi^thicest. 
For six years past the three eldest have been its 
responsible managers. They are sensible, indus- 
trious, temperate, and courteous young men, respected 



360 OREGON. 

in the community, devoted to their mother, and 
all residents in her home, on the corner of Fifth 
and Clay Streets. 

Whenever a subject of importance is to be 
discussed in the paper, some one of the three takes 
it in hand, deals with it from his point of view, and 
then submits it to the others, by whom the work is 
carefully reviewed, and such changes made as are 
deAned best, the writer acquiescing gracefully. If 
he be absent from home, the two at their post take 
the liberty of" cutting his manuscript" if necessary, 
and never is an objection raised. Articles from 
the mother's pen fare no better, as I discovered yes- 
terday. Upon my calling at the office for an item 
of information, one of the proprietors, referring to a 
communication his mother had written while absent 
from the city, said : 

" We have without hesitation omitted whole 
paragraphs, simply because the subject being a local 
one, we are more familiar with the circumstances 
than is mother. She will thank us when she re- 
turns." At the same time he remarked, alluding to 
another matter : 

"We mean it shall be distinctly understood by 
the public, that we stand by our mother and her 
opinions. We always have, and always shall. What 
she has done for us, not many women do for their 
sons. And every day but increases our love and 
respect for her." 



A NOBLE WOMAN. 361 

It need scarcely be added that Mrs. Duniway 
has quite outlived the cutting ridicule from news- 
papers, politicians, and people, which her course 
excited on this part of the coast fourteen years ago. 
She was then generously accused of " neglecting her 
home, her children, her invalid husband." Her 
sons, it was averred, were "growing up a worthless, 
dangerous troop, a disgrace to the community." 
Now that fierce unreasoning cry has ceased, and she 
is reaping the rich rewards of a life of conspicuous 
self-denial and fidelity to duty. 

Mrs. Duniway has contributed to the literature 
of the North-west Coast, " David and Anna Matte- 
son," one volume, in verse. It is a story of New 
England life, woven out of the thrilling history of 
a sea-faring man and his family. It is written in 
a vigorous style, and incites to a life of lofty 
patience, of sublime self-denial on one hand, and on 
the other, portrays selfishness as a corroding rust, 
destroying every charming trait of human character. 
The book was another of Mrs. Duniway's attempts — 
and successes — for the support of her family, its 
sale as well as authorship being her personal work. 

Of the six vouno; o-irls who rode out of Peoria 
on that early Summer day, the subject of this 
sketch is not the only one who in Oregon fought 
her way through adversities in serried raiik:^. Of 
one other, something will be said in a subsequent 
chapter. 



XXXVIII. 
Oi^EGON's (Capital — ^i^unb ^ultui^b. 



IN midsummer, with the doors of the State House 
closed, the legislators dispersed, and probably 
one-fourth of its citizens breathing salt air beside 
the far-off sea, Salem, the civil capital of Oregon, 
is but a quiet city — population in the fifth thou- 
sand — with remarkably wide streets, a fair amount 
of shade, numerous fine homes, and the usual list 
of State institutions. Fifty-three miles south of 
Portland — the commercial metropolis, lying in a 
marvelously rich valley, with the beautiful Willa- 
mette flowing by on the west, affording plenty of 
water-power for manufactures, Salem should soon 
be a large city. A railroad built westward to tide- 
water at Coos Bay, and another through the heart 
of Eastern Oregon to close connection with a through 
line to the East, and the inviting of manufactures 
by granting land whereon to plant them, would cer- 
tainly make it such. 

A good map of Oregon will show the reader 
Salem, situated not like the law-making town of 
Ohio, near the center of the State, but far up in the 
north-western corner, with the great commonwealth 

(Oregon is twice as large as the State of New York, 

362 



OREGON'S CAPITAL. 303 

with two hundred and seventy-four square miles to 
spare) stretching eastward from it about three hun- 
dred and thirty miles, and southward over two liun- 
dred miles, while the northern and western boundaries 
are distant from sixty to seventy miles respectivclv. 

Salem was settled early in the century by a 
company of missionaries from Massachusetts, and 
takes its name from Salem in that State ; thus airain 
have we towns of the same name on both our ocean 
shores. The place was laid out by one of the mis- 
sionaries. He happened to have the good sense 
and uprightness to give to its streets and avenues 
broad-gauge dimensions. For this he should be 
accorded the fervent gratitude of all Salem people 
who shall come after him. 

In the erection of its State buildings, Oregon 
can not be charged with extravagance. The State- 
house is a cheerful-looking structure, built of brick, 
stuccoed, impressive only in length, and destitute 
of turret or dome; but its plan contemplates the 
latter on a grand scale, over the broad passage sepa- 
rating the legislative chambers, with minor eleva- 
tions on each end. The ample park in which the 
capitol stands is inclosed by a plain fence, but lacks 
ornamentation in the form of shrubs and flowers, 
and has a scarcity of fine shade-trees. However, it 
offers a good opportunity for a landscape artist to dis- 
play his talent. These probably are matters which 
concern the law-makers not materially. Since they 



nC)i OREGON. 

are here but in Winter, the absence of bloom and 
beauty is little regretted. On the same street, nearer 
the heart of business, stands a new court-house, a 
handsome edifice of brick. Were this the capitol 
the voice of disappointment would not be heard. 
Opposite the State-house appears the Willamette 
University, the property of the Methodists. Other 
institutions in Salem are the State Prison, the Asy- 
lum for the Insane — pronounced by Elizabeth Dix 
one of the best conducted in the country — the School 
for Deaf Mutes, and the Indian Training-school, 
established five years ago under control of the De- 
partment of the Interior, and located on the Oregon 
and California Railway, four miles out of the city. 

In July last this institution presented diplomas 
to its first alumni. The class included both men 
and women. Citizens attending the exercises from 
other parts of the State speak in high terms of their 
demeanor, ability, and scholarship. Nevertheless, 
in the minds of some, sprung up grave apprehen- 
sions concerning the future of these young men and 
women, unless to every one were furnished such 
occupation and surroundings as would foster the 
good already begun in them. About on this wise 
a few days after the exercises, did one long familiar 
with Indian character express himself to the writer. 

" Should any of these graduates return now to 
dwell among their kindred, the danger is that after 
a little they will lapse into their old habits of life. 



OREGON'S CAPITAL. 305 

Should any obtain situations among the white race 
ill shops, stores, and factories, they must, to a great 
degree, live isolated, lonely lives, and eventually, 
giving up the contest, gravitate back to the hut and 
blanket. Let them even set up their own house- 
hold and settle down among their race as tillers of 
the soil or as herdsmen, the promises are, that with 
the strong counter influence withdrawn, they will 
gradually drift down with the tide of heathenism 
around them. Then it is by no means certain that 
an educated young Indian will not take for his com- 
panion in life one who has never learned to read, 
nor has had an hour of training in an exemplary 
American home. Many a white man has done that. 
Neither is there assurance that a young Indian 
woman who has been taught to study, sew, cook, 
and keep house fairly well, will not bestow her heart 
upon a brave, whose highest accomplishments are 
skill in taking fish, picking hops, or handling saw- 
lojrs. In either case, unless the staunchest Christian 
principles have taken root, the party who has en- 
-joyed the best advantages will succumb to the other." 
One needs, perhaps, but to point to the results 
of the sequestration of the old Spanish missions in 
California for evidence that savage peoples brought 
under elevating influences for a term of years will, 
with those influences removed, quickly retrograde 
toward a wild life. What, then, shall be done? Shall 
not the training of the Indians continue? Assuredly; 



3G6 OREGON. 

for some from every institution, at every mission, 
the circumstances being helpful, will maintain their 
hold upon civilization, upon Christianity. But it 
will save discouragement in effort, save skepticism 
as to the final outcome, to remember that it requires, 
in most instances, generations of uplifting to so 
radically change the nature of savage tribes as to 
insure their progress in civilization and righteous- 
ness when left to shape their own career. It is not 
wholly the work of a few years' course in school. 
Tliat gives a forceful start. The long holding on is 
another thing. 

Salem has also made liberal provision for churches 
and common schools. The pioneers from Massa- 
chusetts were not the men and women to omit agen- 
cies so potent for the general welfare. Indeed, the 
" schools of the people " in Oregon rank among the 
best of the land, as do those of California. At- 
tendance upon a single session of the Astoria State 
School Convention afforded evidence that the train- 
ing of the body politic on our north-west coast is 
in able hands 

Two large flour-mills add their ado to the im- 
pression of business made upon the visitor. One 
of them is operated by Scotch money, if not con- 
ducted by Scotchmen. The Willamette Valley 
being one of the famous wheat sections of the 
country, Salem, the heart of it, ought to be a favor- 
able point for converting the cereal into flour. 



OREGON'^ CAPITAL. 367 

Still little, if any, is manufactured for exportation. 
Mr. Samuel A. Clarke, the editor and proprietor of 
the Willamette Fanner, an ackovvledged authority on 
such subjects, affirms that the wheat yield of the 
valley this year, will not exceed two-thirds the 
usual crop, and that thirty thousand tons will be 
about the amount for foreign export. The absence 
of rain at an important period, resulted in a shriv- 
eled berry. 

It might be supposed that so remarkable a 
shrinkage in the harvest of a region which con- 
tributes so liberally to the breadstufFs of the world, 
would affect somewhat the price of flour the coming 
season. But when it is remembered that in England, 
and on our own Eastern sea-board, is still in store a 
considerable proportion of last year's harvest, and 
that most wheat countries are having average crops, 
it will be seen that the deficit in this valley can 
cause little mutation in prices. 

In respect to climate, the Willamette Valley is a 
favored locality, albeit it is sometimes inopportunely 
visited by fogs. The mercury falls below freezing 
point but few times in the year. From 1862 to 
1883, no ice formed in the valley thicker than 
window-glass. Last Winter, 1884, was an excep- 
tion. Even water-pipes — laid, not from seven to 
nine feet below the surface as in many Eastern 
cities — froze up solidly, making the plumbers jubi- 
lant for several davs. What causes this high tern- 



368 OREGON. 

perature? Well, first, the south-west trade-winds, 
about seventy per cent of the winds of the coast 
being from tliis direction. They sweep over Oregon 
and Washington, inland to the Cascade Range, and 
even penetrate the Columbia Basin through gorges 
in the mountains. Next, the Japan warm stream, 
of whose origin, extent, and influence upou the 
climate little is understood by the great majority 
of the people, contributes greatly toward the agree- 
able result. Fifty inches is the average amount of 
annual rain-fall. 

The Willamette Valley embraces about five mill- 
ion acres of arable land. A large proportion of 
this is under cultivation and commands high prices. 
It yields most bountifully, not only the various 
cereals, but all the temperate fruits and vegetables. 
Mr. Clarke, to whom, and his gifted wife, I am much 
indebted for kindly attentions, penned for me the 
following interesting sketch of the origin of fruit- 
culture in Oregon : 

" The first fruit-trees grown in this State — ai)ples 
chiefly — were from seeds brought across the plains 
by emigrants,in 1838. The first orchard was planted 
in a sheltered canon, about three hundred miles from 
the sea. The Hudson Bay Company also brought 
both seeds and trees from England, and planted them 
at and near Vancouver, and some other stations. 
Shortly after the gold era began in California, 
numerous farmers in the Willamette Valley, planted 



OREGON'S CAPITAL. 309 

many grafted apple-trees, at a cost of from fifty 
cents to one dollar each, and by a system of high 
cultivation, made them produce abundantly. The 
fruit then ranged from eight to twelve dollars 
per bushel, and in a few years these farmers had 
acquired very respectable fortunes, and could be 
seen riding about the country in fine carriages, 
some of which are running to this day; The apples 
were shipped to California for the miners, to vari- 
ous ports along the coast, and to the Sandwich 
Islands. Thus were 'Oregon red apples' famous 
throughout this region, until the great mining craze 
had materially waned. Then the Gold State, finding 
she must turn her hand to other pursuits, went into 
fruit-culturo. Soon her valleys, foot-hills, and low 
mountains, began to bristle with orchards. The 
trees were in the riglit kind of soil, and grew with 
wonderful rapidity, and almost before Oregon was 
aware of it, California had apples of her own. 
Now it is her boast, that in pomological productions 
she quite excels the world." 

Meanwhile Oregon orchards, grown to maturity, 
produced amazingly. The market was overstocked, 
and apples became too cheap to pay for raising 
them. What then happened? All over the State 
the farmers neglected their trees, and to-day as one 
journeys, hundreds of decaying orchards greet the 
eye, while numbers beside have been "grubbed up" 
to make room for the wheat-fields they once so 



370 OREGON. 

summarily displaced. But with the advent of rail- 
roads, securing quick access to markets, and to more 
of them, there has broken out a fresh revival of 
fruit-culture in Oregon, throughout the section west 
of the Cascade Range. Apples, pears, peaches, plums, 
prunes, and grapes, with all kinds of berries, help 
make fortunes for men. Peaches and grapes pro- 
duce well only in occasional years, or when the 
Summers are unusually warm. Elegant peaches 
have been grown in some orchards the present 
season. Portland is environed by fruit farms — 
mostly of moderate extent. These supply the city, 
and make some shipments to the East. 

Tree-lice are giving earnest attention to the 
apple-orchards. Riding along the highway yester- 
day, near Salem, I observed a number of pitiable 
looking groves. The leaves were brown, dry, and 
curled. Like havoc was visible from the car-win- 
dows as I rode down the valley the day before. 
The noxious pests were drawing the very life from 
the trees. The several families of the insect have 
pushed their ravages over most of the State, but, up 
to date, have been content to worry only the apple- 
trees. Unluckily, however, California has sent up 
her " codlin moth " to re-enforce the raiders. The 
latter have a relish for pears as well as apples, 
and promise to make things lively for the fruit- 
growers. 

But the most interestino: branch of fruit-culture 



PRUNE CULTURE. 371 

in tho "Willamette Valley is prunes. In variety, 
size, sweetness, and flavor, they surpass any thing 
in their line I have seen on the coast. As if 
it wore not enough to be the owner, editor, and 
general manager of an agricultural newspaper, Mr. 
Clarke adds to that the proprietorship of two mag- 
nificent prune-orchards, numbering, together, from 
five to seven thousand trees, just attaining their 
prime. Moreover, connected therewith, he has a 
well-equipped dry- house, in which, at the season, he 
personally superintends the curing the fruit for 
market. Last year the fifteen thousand pounds of 
dried prunes marketed from his grounds Avere 
shipped to St. Paul. This year's crop has the same 
destination. 

A guest in Mr. Clarke's home, delightfully situ- 
ated in the outskirts of Salem, I Avas invited, after 
tea of the first day to take a seat beside him for a 
drive to the prune-groves. Arrived at the place, I 
oj^ened my eyes in astonishment. Never saw I so 
beautiful a sight in the way of fruit-trees. There 
they stood by the thousand, their limbs bent to the 
earth with the delicious product. Myriads of long 
lines of purple, and blue, and scarlet, and cream- 
colored prunes were crowded, thick as they could 
hang, from the center of the trees to the ground. 
In short, all around me were trees fairly abloom 
with ripened fruit. Among the varieties were the 
Italiui, Columbia, La Petite, Hungarian, and Queen 



372 OREGON. 

Claude, some laden with fruit the size of an ordi- 
nary hen's-egg. Tiie Hungarian, a large, bright-red 
prune, fading to a golden yellow on one side was 
exceedingly showy, thick in flesh, and delight- 
ful in flavor. The Italian, of a clear dark-blue, 
oval in form, hung from the limbs like colossal 
drops of indigo, and in such numbers as to give the 
tree a blue appearance, notwithstanding the leaves 
of green. The Queen Claude, nearly round, gray- 
ish white in color, and very saccharine to the taste, 
hugged the branches so closely as to nearly, if not 
quite, cover the w^ood. A good-sized tree of this 
variety in full bearing is an amazing sight. La 
Petite, diminutive in size, steps completely to the 
front for sweetness and flavor. La Petite is em- 
phatically the prune of commerce. 

The process of "making prunes" — drying them 
for the market — is very interesting. Having been 
carefully picked, the fruit, placed in a deep tin 
vessel, holding about a peck, and pierced at the 
bottom with many small holes, is several times 
rapidly immersed in a strong solution of concen- 
trated lye, the last time being held in the liquid a 
second or two. This step softens and breaks the cuti- 
cle, which in some varieties is very thick and tough. 
The fruit is now well rinsed, drained thoroughly, 
and spread on a large, shallow wire crate to dry. 
The crates are then shoved into warm brick cham- 
bers, several tiers in height, where, resting on firm 



PRUNE CULTURE. 373 

cleats along the sides, and kept at a certain tcra- 
porature, they remain until sufficiently dry. In Mr. 
Clarke's "dryer" there are, I believe, six chambers, 
in which may be curing at one time about forty 
bushels of fruit. 

The constant attendance of one person is re- 
quired at the dryer day and night, through the sea- 
son, to turn the fruit, to mass the contents of the 
crates as the prunes shrink, and to remove the 
portions soonest dry. At the proper temperature 
most prunes will cure in twenty-four hours. When 
fully dry, they are placed, in clean, capacious bins, 
to undergo the sweating process, in order to "even 
up" the moisture and fill out the prune. Lastly, 
all are carefnlly looked over by experienced hands, 
and every imperfect prune removed. Packing for 
the market follows. For this step Mr. Clarke uses 
boxes holding twenty-five pounds each. 

For the more arduous picking, for night duty at 
the dryer, and for lifting the full crates, Mr. Clarke 
employs Chinamen, and for all the lighter labors 
women and girls. Neatness is a prime requisite at 
every stage of the process. 

The dryer, built inside the packing-house, is of 
brick work, rectangular in form, not too high for 
easy handling of the upi{)er tier of crates, and holds, 
when filled, forty-eight of these receptacles. A fur- 
nace beneath the masonry supplies the heat. 

Aside from the charms of the prune-orchards 
32 



374 



OREGON. 



themselves, their site affords one of the most com- 
prehensive surveys of fine scenery to be had in the 
whole Willamette Valley. Snow-cones and mount- 
ain spurs, picturesque spots and historic localities, 
lie all around the beholder. 




XXXIX. 

Schemes f^ir^BD (©ontinUally. 



0\ whatever part of the Pacific Coast the trav- 
eler may roam, he is sure to stumble upon some 
publication "devoted to the Great West." Every 
little community of five hundred people has its news- 
paper, which serves as its general agent. Through 
its columns the manifold interests of the locality, and 
often of the entire American Pacific Coast, are pro- 
claimed to the remainder of the world. One is sim- 
ply amazed at the vast amount of money, energy, 
patience, and persistency there is expended in set- 
ting forth the resources, advantages, capabilities, and 
wonders of this part of the continent. Hundreds 
of men, industrious, intelligent, indomitable, are 
engaged in these efforts, and with a devotion which 
falls little short of infatuation. A wild delirium 
for "improvements" has seized upon papers and 
people. No sooner has one set of magnificent 
enterprises — such as tunneling a mountain range, 
founding a city, building an important railway, 
dredging the Columbia for fifty miles — been printed 
into being, by the lively journals, than away speed 
the go-aheads to inaugurate as many more. Silver- 
mines, gold-mines, roal-veins, oil-deposits, more 



375 



376 OREGON. 

railroad projects, more navigation schemes are put 
to airing, with astonishing vigor. The whole world 
is invited, with touching frankness and cordiality, 
to kindly read about these little matters, ponder 
them, form favorable conclusions with regard to 
them, and finally, to generously help push them 
forward. 

One can scarcely pick up a newspaper, or mag- 
azine indeed — unless it be a religious work — in San 
Francisco, which does not somewhere display, in 
capitals, the legend: "Devoted to the development 
of the Pacific Coast." It matters little in what 
tongue the journal is published, its cardinal ob- 
ject is " to promote the progress of the Great 
West." And what the metropolitan papers do in 
their hearty, magnanimous way, those of the lesser 
communities admirably imitate. Thus it comes to 
pass that from one end of the coast to the other, is 
heard this key-note pealing out loud and clear. 

Portland, being much the largest city north of 
San Francisco, finds assigned to her papers no in- 
significant share of this work, and right loyally, 
so far as their State and city are concerned, do 
they perform it; so loyally, that were there not 
other sources of information, their readers might 
suppose Oregon embraced all the coast, and Port- 
land all Oregon. However, in this talent for set- 
ting things forth in good light, their neighbors 
north of the Columbia come behind not a particle. 



SCHEMES AIRED CONTINUALLY. 



377 



The dailies of Paget Soiuul champion the cause of 
Wasliington Territory with telling energy, and in 



te 




the struggle for " improvements" and for '* settlers/' 
are always at the front. 

Let me not be understood as saying that the 
papers of the Pacific Coast color too highly its 



378 OREGON. 

resources and advantages. So radically, in many re- 
spects, does the coast differ from most other sections 
of the country, that in writing of it one's style differs. 
Superlatives drop naturally from his pen. Here, if 
anywhere, the command to be temperate in all 
things can not include the use of descriptive lan- 
guage; fbr Nature herself is intemperate in the 
sense of being extreme, and if one writes of her — 
her plains, mountains, rivers, forests — he must choose 
words to fit the subject. 

Prominent among the publications due to Port- 
land enterprise, stands that admirable monthly mag- 
azine, The West Shore, now in the twelfth year of its 
history. In the center of its richly illustrated cover, 
for 1886, appears the favorite legend : " Devoted to 
the development of the Great West." Between the 
covers are forty pages filled with beautiful litho- 
graphs and good reading matter. "The city on the 
Blue Willamette" furnishes subjects for all the pic- 
tures, and for the leading descriptive and business 
articles. These reproduce with great fidelity, some 
of the parks, public buildings, private residences, 
sections of the business streets, portions of the river 
and shipping, and several bird's-eye views of the 
city. For beauty of finish, all these illustrations 
are excellent specimens of art. Other contents of 
the work are sketches, stories, poetry, nearly all 
pertaining to the North-west, but forming an inter- 
esting miscellany for readers anywhere. 



SCHEMES AIRED CONTINUALLY. 379 

The West Shore is edited, published, and, if I 
mistake not, owned by Mr. L. Samuel, a German 
Jew, reared in Sacramento. His fellow citizens bear 
hearty testimony to his moral worth and ability, 
and to his excellence as a husband and father. 
Like most of his race, he is rather short in stature 
and heavy set. Very versatile, he turns -with equal 
facility to any of the divers occupations of his es- 
tablishment, and is patient and courteous withal, as 
the writer had evidence, recently, on paying a visit 
to the bright quarters into which he had, but a day 
or two before, removed the outfit of TTie West Shore. 
The time for the issue of the February number was 
overdue, while as yet the office was the only room 
in trim for business. Every line of work was 
driving at full speed, in order to hurry out the 
magazine. Still he who was infusing energy into 
the whole, had the disposition and found the time 
to be obliging, and to see that my call was not 
in vain. 

It would surprise some Eastern publishers to 
find in this young border city a house of such ca- 
pacity as that which sends out the finely executed 
West Shore. Ox its kind, it is one of the most com- 
plete on the coast. Within its own Avails are done 
all the engraving, printing, and binding, and by its 
own people. The West Shore was founded in Au- 
gust, 1874. The volume for last year, now lying 
bofore me, would be an attraction in any home. 



XI<. 
LflYING Ol^EGON ^lONEEI^S. 



SCATTERED about in various towns of Oregon 
are persons who settled in the State during the 
deoade between 1842 and 1852. Almost without 
exception they are men and women of remarkable 
traits of character, and most of them are yet hard 
at work, in business, in journalism, in the practice 
of law, in the service of the Government, as edu- 
cators, as ministers, and farmers. Prior to the 
perilous journey across the plains, few of them had 
any idea what hardships they could endure, of what 
heroism they were capable. For years after ar- 
rival in the land of their hopes, the circumstances 
of their lives were such as to develop every sterling 
quality. Settled among a wild, inimical people, who 
regarded them as invaders, they were often in dan- 
ger, and were forced to be brave and self-reliant. 
Necessarily theys. were hospitable people. In those 
days not to have been free-hearted, even to way- 
farers and strangers bent on errands not disclosed, 
would have been to incur reproach indelible. Said 
Mrs. Samuel Clarke, discoursing of the past, during 
my recent visit to Salem : 

" For years after we settled here I entertained at 
380 



LIVING OREGON PIONEERS. 381 

my table multitudes of pcoj)lo of all classes, from gov- 
ernors and generals of the army down, and that, too, 
with very limited table equi])nients and meager do- 
mestic facilities. Yet for no consideration would I 
be without my experience in this border State. And 
as for tliat now far-back, painful journey across the 
plains, it is the richest chapter in the book. I 
would not have it expunged if I could. It was a 
needed preface to life here, a schooling which, to a 
great degree, made a woman independent in char- 
acter. In no other way than by all these expe- 
riences could the same mental and moral develop- 
ment have been attained. 

" In our life here there was not an inch of ground 
for false pride to take root. I have known a noble 
young woman to be wooed with her feet bare, and 
to set up housekeeping dowered with but a tea- 
kettle, a skillet, a single change of bed-linen, and a 
table outfit for two. Under such conditions the 
pride a woman has is noble." 

Could the accounts of the thrilling scenes, in 
which most of these people have taken part, be jotted 
down as they yet sometimes fall from their lips, 
many an interesting chapter would they make. Hap- 
pily, much of this desirable work has been done, 
both by Mr. Hubert H. Bancroft, in his great 
" History of the Pacific Const States," and by Mrs. 
Frances Fuller Victor, in her bright work entitled 

"All Over Oregon and Washington," and also in a 

33 



382 OREGON. 

volume which she was induoed to miscall " The 
Great River of the West/' the work being really a 
sketch of the operations of the " Rocky Mountain 
Fur Company." In this the lady has drawn to the 
life, the portraits of numerous remarkable characters 
who figured on this north-western coast in a very 
early day. 

Among those who appeared on the sceiie about 
1850 are Mr. and Mrs. Clarke, of Salem, both di- 
rectly from Ohio; Mr. Clarke being a Pennsylvanian 
by birth, however. Previous to his attack of West- 
ern fever, the latter resided for some years in San- 
dusky, Ohio, a most worthy family in that city being 
his relatives. Most of Mr. Clarke's life in Oregon 
has been devoted to literary labor, chiefly in the 
field of journalism. Years ago the Netc York Times 
paid him large sums of money for Western corre- 
spondence, a line of work in which he excelled. 
For a considerable period his thoughts sparkled in 
the columns of the Sacramento Record- Union, and at 
the same time, T think, in those of the San Francisco 
Daily Bulletin. Later Mr. Clarke held a position 
which may be designated as that of descriptive 
writer for the "Oregon Bureau of Emigration," and 
a like relation to the earlier Oregon railroads. 
Together these were extremely favorable posts, in 
that their duties drew him to every quarter of his 
own State and of the neighboring Territory of 
Washington, acquainting liim not only witli the 



LIVISG OREGON PIONEERS. 383 

country, but with the people and their history; 
and thus peeuliarly qualifying him for the author- 
ship of the series of historieal sketches now nnining 
through the Sunday editions of The Orcgonian, pre- 
eminently the leading daily of the North-west Coast, 
and of which Mr. Clarke was the editor over twenty 
years ago. 

Somewhere along in the sixties Mr. Clarke fur- 
nished to Harper's Magazine a poem covering sev- 
eral columns, the theme of which was '■ The Colum- 
bia River and the Remarkable Legend of the 
Cascades." For beauty of description, for vivid 
portrayal of Indian emotions, of the Indian's power 
to suffer and be strong, and of his conception of the 
rage of the spirits of the mountains when enc^acred 
in a dire conflict for supremacy, the production is 
scarcely equaled in that class of literature. There 
was a time when Mr. Clarke allowed a few Western 
border stories from his pen to charm the readers of 
Eastern journals, but latterly he seems not to have 
had leisure for such pastime. 

Mrs. Clark also is endowed with the newspaper 
instinct, and that by inheritance. She is a daughter 
of Mr. George Buckingham, long resident in the 
pretty town of Norwalk, Ohio, who, with Mr. 
Samuel Preston of that place, established the Hu- 
ron (now Norwalk) Eefiedor, and the granddaughter 
of Henry Buckingham, the founder of the old Nor- 
walk Beporter, the first newspaper pul)lished in that 



384 OREGON. 

village. The grandfather emigrated to Norwalk 
from Pennsylvania as early as 1826, and to the end 
of his life was a notable man in the community. 
He was born on one of the stony farms of Con- 
necticut, and possessed granitic traits of character. 
In Ohio he was known both as a staunch temper- 
ance man and a fervent Abolitionist. To belong in 
the latter ranks in that day tried a man's principles, 
and sometimes placed his life in jeopardy. Not in- 
frequently, I have been told, might Mr. Buckingham 
have been seen conveying a wagon-load of escaped 
slaves from Norwalk to the village of Milan, some 
four miles nearer the land of freedom — Canada. 
His home was a prominent way station on the 
famous "under-ground railway" of those days, a 
corporation which did business at its own expense, 
and solely for the good of others. 

The press and type upon which the Norwalk 
Reflector was first printed were purchased by George 
Buckingham in Cincinnati, the journey thither be- 
ing made on horseback, and consuming three weeks 
of time. They were brought across Ohio, then by 
no means so populous a State as now, in one of 
those inimitable looking vehicles known as "prairie 
schooners," and were four weeks on the way. From 
eight to ten hours now suffice for the trip when made 
behind a locomotive. 

Mrs. Clarke herself wields a ready and clever 
pen. It has long made interesting the home de- 



LIVING OREGON PIONEERS. 385 

partment of her husband's paper, The Willamette 
Farmer. To a keen relish for antiquarian research 
generally, she adds a distinct taste for Indian remi- 
niscences. And the walls and shelves, nooks and 
corn2rs of her home evince her industry in collecting 
them. " I should be glad," she remarked, " could 
1 devote my time for a while to preserving the anti- 
quarian remains of this coast. Several localities are 
rich in such treasures." 

Mrs. Clarke's home is a curious compound of 
halls, rooms, closets, vestibules, porches, and projec- 
tions. They moved into it, a young married couple, 
many years ago. It then consisted of but two 
rooms. As additions were needed, they were made 
here and there, until now, like the characters in a 
siory, a series of subordinate rooms are grouped 
around the chief one, which is the room with open 
fireplace, tall brass andirons, a center-table, laden 
with newspapers, half-read and unread, and a bushel 
basket filled with magazines and "exchanges." 

In a small room of a building on the corner of 
Stark and Front Streets, in the city of Portland, 
may be seen, any day after ten o'clock, a lady seated 
at a table spread with scissors, pencils, note-book, 
clippings, and newspapers. This lady is Mrs. C. A. 
Coburn, editor-in-chief of the Portland Daily Even- 
in(j Telegram. The success of this woman in over- 
coming obstacles in life deserves to be chronicled, 



386 OREGON. 

if only to encourage other women treading similar 
disheartening paths. 

Twelve years of Mrs. Coburn's life have been 
spent in journalistic work in an editorial capacity, 
and on the staff of at least three different papers. 
At each post she has acquitted herself nobly, sever- 
ing her relations only to improve her condition. 
She is one of the six young girls of the Scott fam- 
ily, which emigrated to the Willamette Valley, from 
Peoria, Illinois, in 1852, and is, therefore, the sister 
of Mrs. Duniway, the founder of I'he New North- 
west, and of Mr. W. H. Scott, now the editor of 
The Oregonian. 

Marrying at nineteen, Mrs. Coburn began wedded 
life at Oregon City, a brisk little town on the Wil- 
lamette, south of Portland, and formerly the Capital 
of Oregon. At twenty-eight she was a widow, with 
four little daughters dependent upon herself for 
support. Not should she, but how should she, sup- 
port them? was the earnest question. Maturely 
considering the subject, she determined, as did Mrs. 
Duniway under circumstances more dispiriting, to 
try her ability for teaching, and at once began qual- 
ifying herself for the work. Owing to the dearth 
of educational advantages offered on the coast during 
her girlhood, she had " received but five months' 
schooling since her twelfth year." Serious as was 
the omission, she was not daunted by it, but at once 
entering the University of the Pacific, in Washing- 



LIVING OREGON PIONEERS. 387 

ton County, she there bent every energy toward 
acquiring knowledge sufficient to obtain a certificate 
for teaching in the State schools. This obtained, 
she applied for the school in the place of her resi- 
dence. There then existed in Oregon City an in- 
tense prejudice against the adoption of that vocation 
by a woman. 

" What wages do you want?" inquired the school 
director. 
. . "Fifty dollars a month," was the reply. 

" Why ! we can get a man for that !" he an- 
swered, looking at her in amazement. 

The woman well knew that. But having had 
eight years' experience in the care of children, and 
possessing at least the education required by law for 
teaching such a school, she believed she could dis- 
chiirge the duties of the position as well, if not 
better, than any young man, and ought therefore to 
receive the same remuneration. The director mag- 
nanimously offered her forty dollars. She took it, 
and taught that school five years, all the time doing 
her own domestic work, including the washing and 
sewing for five, the feeding and milking her cow, 
and the sawing her daily supply of wood. In short, 
she simply toiled day and night for necessary food 
and elothing. In progress of time, having achieved 
genuine success, and the prejudice against her voca- 
tion being quite allayed, a salary of seventy-five 
dollars was tendered her in another district. 



388 OREGON. 

June, 1873, witnessed Mrs. Coburn's entrance 
upon newspaper life at a compensation of fifteen 
dollars a week. And now, as the editor of the Daily 
Evening Telegram, she receives the same remunera- 
tion a man would have in the position. " In all 
these years," said she but a few days ago, " I have re- 
ceived not the help of a dollar from any one. My 
daughters have all been reared to habits of self- 
support, and as the result of our combined labors 
we own a delightful little home in East Portland/' 

When that Illinois Scott family — father, son, and 
six daughters (it will be remembered the mother 
and younger sou fell asleep on the journey) — made 
its appearance in the Willamette Valley, who could 
have foretold what an influence all its able, indus- 
trious, practical, indomitable members would exert 
upon Oregon society and history? Eleven of that 
father's children and grandchildren are in the walks 
of literature and journalism in the State. Eight 
or nine of them gain their livelihood from the 
latter pursuit. 




Fl^OM ^OI^TLAND TO ^UGBT SOUND. 



FLYING northward at the approach of cold 
weather, is reversing the procedure of the birds. 
But intelligence and instinct may differ in their 
choices. Moving southward with the sun, the sweet 
songsters seek only tlieir food and comfort, and get 
them; while I, by alighting down just below the 
forty-ninth parallel, at the beginning of Autumn, 
have perhaps planned for my misery. That is to 
say: By contriving to take my experience of the 
Pacific North-west in tlie rainy season, I not only 
lose the beauty and brightness of its Spring-time and 
Summer, but doom myself to live a good share of 
the time under dripping clouds, cumbered, every 
time I step out, with umbrella and overshoes, 
neither of which things is agreeable to me. Nev- 
ertheless, I have determined to see the Pug€t Sound 
country late in the year. I shall therefore expect 
to take things as I find them, omitting all fretting. 
Leaving my Oregon work — barely half com- 
pleted — to the possibilities of 1886, on the 10th of 
September I turned my footsteps toward the won- 
derful inland sea. In this book, therefore, in utter 
hostility to facts geographical, the reader will find 



389 



390 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

Washington Territory sandwiched between North- 
ern and Sonthern Oregon. Begging pardon of all 
Washington for employing this mode of pntting 
things, let me picture to the reader what I saw be- 
tween Portland and Tacoma, the metropolis of the 
Paget Sound region. The distance, via the Northern 
Pacific Railway, is one hundred and forty-five miles, 
and is accomplished in six and a half iiours. 

Emerging from thriving, driving Portland, at 
fifteen minutes before midday, the train speeds 
nearly northward down the western bank of tlie 
Willamette, twelve miles, with the fair stream in 
full view on one side, and precipitous fir-crowned 
bluffs on the other. Then turning westward, the 
iron horse plows along the sonthern brink of the 
Columbia until opposite Kalama, iu Washington. 
Here, close by the river, the creature stops, un- 
couples from the coaches, backs a few rods, glides 
off on a side track, and — looks on. In an instant, 
another engine near, homely of aspect, gigantic in 
strength, slowly approaches the train, from behind, 
locks into the rear car, and gently pushes the whole 
down the bank and on board a huge transfer 
steamer, pouring columns of dense black smoke 
from its tall pipes, at the end of the track. 

On the broad deck of the steamer three railways 
are laid. The coaches glide upon the middle one. 
Immediately the great locomotive disengages itself, 
retreats a few feet, switches on to the left track, 



PORTLAND TO I'VOET SOUND. 



?m 



comes aboard, and halts beside the train. INIcan- 
tinie engine number one has left the side-traek and 
may be seen creeping down the incline. Taking 

■ ilillilimiiMiiiiiii I I • . 




the right-hand r:iils, it, too, eomes aboord, flunks the 
passengers on that side, and stops breathing. 

Now slowly the immense boat pushes out from 



392 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

shore, moves up, and partly across, the broad river; 
then, reversing its engine, "it drops down to the 
hxnding on the Washington side, and adjusts its 
three tracks to those of the staunch, sloping dock 
built down the side of the bank. Instantly the 
engine on our right wakes up, rolls off the steamer, 
up the steep grade, and gets out of the way on the 
main road. This done, the Black Sampson starts 
its wheels, moves out upon the dock, switches to 
the middle track, backs on board again, lays hold 
of the coaches, and pulls passengers and all up 
the bank, with an air which plainly says: "That's 
nothing for an engine to do." Leaving us on the 
main track, locomotive number one again proifers its 
services, and away we speed toward the north. 

Thus was accomplished a small but very interest- 
ing part of the journey. To many of the passengers 
the proceedings were entirely novel, and were 
watched intently from the beginning. When in 
midstream a fine view was afforded us, both up and 
down the Columbia. 

Since the advent of the Northern Pacific Road, 
there have sprung up numerous small towns between 
Kalama and Tacoma. Yet inftmtile in years, most 
of them are circled about by forests of valuable 
timber. Those I recall most readily are, Winlock, 
Centralia, Chehalis, and Tenino. " Fisheries and 
lumbering are the principal resources of Kalama." 
Between the village and the rich a(>;ricuUural region 



POETLAND TO PUGET SOUXD. 393 

lyiiic: back of it, there intervenes a formidable bluff, 
pinnacled with stately firs. Still, being the county- 
seat, interest is taken in rural as well as river aflfairs. 

Chehalis is the brisk capital of Lewis County, 
a section of the Territory whose development in 
material w^ealth has been quite remarkable. The 
county fair held in the place annually, makes a fine 
exhibit of all kinds of farm products. The fruits 
and vegetables rank in size and quality with those 
of more famous districts. A commodious hotel 
gladly offers shelter to guests who come to spy out 
the land and lay foundations for fortunes. 

From Portland to Chehalis the seat in front of 
me was occupied by a Mrs. Sheldon and her 
daughter, from Detroit. Their destination was the 
" Lost Valley Rancho," an estate some seven hun- 
dred acres in extent, of which the lady, her three 
or four sons, and a son-in-law were the owners. It 
lies interiorly from Chehalis about fourteen miles. 
These young men, all reared in Detroit, had spent 
some time on the premises, hard at work, but were 
delighted with their new life, and were sanguine of 
speedy wealth. One of them, Mrs. Sheldon said, 
had spent three years on the place, and could in 
nowise be persuaded to resume life in the goodly 
City of the Straits. 

Both ladies were about to take up their residence 
in Lost Valley, and though their life was to be 
under a very different condition of things, were 



394 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

determined to be happy. A communicant in the 
Episcopal Church, Mrs. Sheldon was already plan- 
ning to erect a little chapel upon her estate, in order 
that her neighbors as well as her own family might 
be favored with sanctuary privileges, from which 
they were now debarred. As our train drew up at 
Chehalis the ladies bade me good-bye, gathered up 
their effects, and started down the aisle. Just then 
a young man leaped up the steps, met them at the 
door, loaded himself with their packages, and led 
the way to the hotel. He was one of the young 
rancheros of Lost Valley. 

Running on thence to Tenino, a city with bound- 
less territory on all sides, the conductor announced 
that passengers destined to Olympia would change 
cars. That ceremony gave me opportunity to learn 
that Olympia, the capital of the Territory, is the 
oldest town on Puget Sound, having been founded 
about 1845. A beautiful city, charmingly situated 
at the head of Budd's Inlet, one of the southern- 
most arms of the magnificent system of water-ways 
penetrating Western Washington, it has a popula- 
tion of over three thousand, and is the legal center 
of Thurston County, one of the oldest and richest 
subdivisions of the Territory. 

In 1851, Olympia was made the port of entry 
for the " Customs District of Puget Sound," erected 
that year, all this region being then a part of Ore- 
gon. When the Territory was established — Act of 



PORTLAND TO PUGET SOUND. 305 

Congress, March 2, 1853 — Olympia was made the 
capital, and still retains the honor, notwithstand- 
ing its location on the extreme western border of 
the Territory. 

Thurston County is distinguished for numerous 
advantages. Taking its large area of arable land, 
its fine streams and lakes, full of splendid fish and 
abounding in water-fowl, its heavily wooded hills, 
whence come vast quantities of valuable lumber, 
and the very paradise of sportsmen, on account of 
their plentiful game, its rich soil, out of which 
spring cereals and vegetables that few lands of the 
globe can excel, and its multitude of useful springs, 
with its agreeable climate most of the year, and 
you have a section about as inviting as man cau 
ask for. 

From Tenino we sped along through miles of 
dark pines and firs, and across extensive natural 
parks, set with evergreens in all manner of group- 
ings, and spread with a beautiful, closely cropped 
turf; and over wide, desolate expanses, the soil of 
which was so indigent as barely to afford sustenance 
for the sheep grazing upon them. Finally, the 
night drawing on, we rolled up to " Pacific Avenue 
Station," in the western terminus of the Northern 
Pacific Railway, and fifteen minutes later were set 
down at the entrance of the " Tacoma," an elegant 
hotel, built of mingled brick and stone, in the 
Queen Anne and Norman-French style, and in its 



396 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

appointments scarcely surpassed by the famous Del 
Monte, at Monterey. 

The Taconia occupies a sightly position on Cliff 
Avenue, skirting Commencement Bay — the arm of 
Puget Sound on which the city of Tacoma stands, 
in full view from the hotel. It adds another to the 
richly appointed caravansaries of the Pacific Coast, 
and the views it commands of the Sound, the Puy- 
allup Valley, and Mount Tacoma, Washington's 
grandest snow-cone, are strong inducements for 
seeking its inviting quarters. 

Providentially there opened to me next day a 
delightful home, whose head has spent thirty-two 
years in Western Washington, and to whom are as 
familiar as the alphabet, its mountains, streams, re- 
sources, Indian tribes, and changeful history. Mr. 
Van Ogle is a native of Adams County, Ohio, and 
within the grand old State yet reside quite a num- 
ber of his relatives. In this region his name is 
everywhere a synonym for kindness and hospitality. 
As a memento of his distant home, he sometimes 
exhibits a buckeye, which he plucked from one of 
those beautiful trees on the eve of his departure for 
the then wild West. 

One would hardly expect to find in this far-away 
corner of our land an old and rare work of art. 
But passing the parlor door a few moments ago, my 
attention was called to a portrait of Miss Frances 
Jennings, the duchess of Tyrconnel, and a sister of 



PORTLAXD TO PUGET SOUND. 



397 



the fluchess of Marlborough, who figured at court 
in the reign of James the Second. Miss Jennings 
shone as a favorite of the duchess of York about 
1664. History describes her as having " the fairest 
complexion that ever was seen, beautiful flaxen hair, 
a turn of the face that was exquisitely fine, while 
she was unaffected in manners, full of wit, and cap- 
tivating in conversation." The portrait was painted 
by the celebrated artist. Sir Peter Lely, who in 1641 
Avent over to England from Westphalia to pursue 
his art. The work was brought to America by my 
excellent hostess, herself a countrywoman of Miss 
Jennings's. At one time a gentleman, who was com- 
missioned by Mr. A. T. Stewart to add to his col- 
lection of paintings, paid a visit to Iowa, then the 
home of Mrs. Van Ogle, in the hope of securing 
the relic, but the two thousand five hundred dollars 
he oifered for the treasure failed to secure it. 

34 




XI<II. 

She Gi^eat Inland Sea. 



TO most readers who have not visited the North- 
west Coast, the words " Puget Sound " convey 
but a faint idea of what is really included in the 
term. Exactly where lies the wonderful system of 
waters, what sort of people inhabit its shores, 
whether it belongs to Great Britain or the United 
States, and whether it is in any way particularly 
important, are all matters about which the most 
confused notions prevail in the minds of thousands 
of intelligent people. And with good reason. Until 
now, opportunity to cross the continent directly to 
this point has not oiFered every day in the year. Nor 
as yet has all the nation accepted the opportunity. 

A gentleman for many years resident in the 
vicinity of Pnget Sound tells me that when in New 
York three years ago he one day entered a fash- 
ionable restaurant to procure a luncheon. At a 
table near him were seated two wide-awake business 
men. Presently one inquired of the other, evi- 
dently through interest in the Northern Pacific 
Railway, a subject then rife all over the country: 

" What knowledge have you of Puget Sound 

and that part of the country?" 
398 



THE GREAT INLAND SEA. 399 

"I confess I know very little," he replied. "All 
that part of the coast is a terra incognita to me." 

The two talked on, so evidently in geographical 
darkness, that the Western man, with the kindly 
spirit so characteristic of the people of the Pacific 
Coast, finally said: 

" Gentlemen, I have lived in the neighborhood 
of Pnget Sound nearly a third of a century, and 
should be pleased to furnish you any information 
concerning the region." 

So elsewhere throughout his travels did he find 
it. Possibly I may be able in this chapter to so 
describe this remarkable ramification of waters that 
the reader will obtain a clear apprehension of the 
system. 

General usage groups under the term Puget 
Sound the following bodies of water, beginning at 
the ocean, and proceeding inland, first eastward a 
hundred miles and more, then southward about the 
same distance: The Strait of Juan de Fuca, Belling- 
ham Bay, Admiralty Inlet, Hood's Canal, Com- 
mencement Bay, a short, deep passage called The 
Narrows, and three long, narrow inlets — all, I be- 
lieve, penetrating Thurston County, and forming the 
head of the Sound system. 

To the easternmost of these inlets was originally 
given the name Puget Sound, in compliment to 
Lieutenant Puget, an officer of the expedition sent 
out from England under Captain George Vancouver, 



400 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

in 1791, on "a voyage of discovery to the North 
Pacific Ocean." 

Lieutenant .Pnget, in command of a party de- 
tailed by Vancouver, explored and surveyed these 
head-waters of the Sound. Returning to their 
ship, The Discovery, Vancouver graciously affixed 
his subordinate's name to the crescent-shaped ar- 
tery, which to-day on all large maps of Western 
Washington is designated as Puget Sound. But, in 
1851, when the Government set up this customs 
district, making Olympia, on Budd's Inlet, the port 
of entry, it was called the " Customs District of 
Puget Sound." Thus was the cognomen in time 
applied to the whole grand series of waters. And 
subsequently when Port Townsend, practically on 
the Strait of Juan de Fuca, became the customs 
port, the name remained unchanged. Let me now 
try to sketch these principal divisions of Puget Sound 
under this broader application of the term. 

Between Cape Flattery, a sharp, projecting point 
of Washington Territory, and Cape Bonilla, on Van- 
couver Island, the Strait of Juan de Fuca breaks 
inland from the Pacific. This grand passage ex- 
tends due eastward between the Island of Vancouver 
and Washington Territory ninety-"five miles — mid- 
channel distance, eighty-three miles — when it is con- 
fronted by Whidby Island, the largest one in the 
Sound's collection, and so called by Vancouver, in 
honor of another lieutenant of The Discover}/. For 



THE GREAT INLAND SEA. 401 

a distance of forty miles from the ocean the uni- 
form widtli of the Strait is twelve miles. Opposite 
Boachy Head it contracts to eight miles, and again 
expands, until, at the point where it receives from 
the north the waters of the broad Canal de Haro, 
of the Strait of Rosario, and of the noble Gulf of 
Georgia — itself one hundred and twenty miles long 
by twenty wide — and from the south, those of splen- 
did Admiralty Inlet and Hood's Canal, with their 
many deep bays and inlets, it attains a breadth of 
from twenty to forty miles. 

In the deepest portions of the Strait no bottom 
has been found with a line one hundred and fifty 
fathoms long. Professor George Davidson states 
that " its current flows with an average velocity of 
three miles an hour, except off Beachy Head, where 
its momentum is doubled." The mean rise and fall 
of the tide in the passage is sixteen feet. Heavy 
timber and close underbrush clothe its shores, which, 
on the Vancouver side especially, rise abruptly into 
mountains several hundred feet high. From "any- 
where on the strait can be seen the majestic snow- 
cones Mount Baker and Mount Tacoma." 

Next in importance follows Admiralty Inlet, 
named out of respect to the English Board of Ad- 
miralty. It is simply a magnificent canal, sixty miles 
long and three and a half miles wide. Branching 
off from the Strait of Juan de Fuea, it extends 
south-easterly to Vashan Island, where it divide? 



402 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

into Commencement Bay — at the head of which 
flourishes the city of Tacoma — and the swift Nar- 
rows, through which is reached Oylmpia and its inlets. 

Sixteen miles south of the Strait of Juan de 
Fuca, Admiralty Inlet throws off Hood's Canal to 
the south-west, with a length of sixty miles and a 
width of one and a half miles. Together, Hood's 
Canal, Admiralty Inlet, and the three head-water 
inlets mentioned, have a shore-line of over eight 
hundred miles, mostly fringed with stately timber, 
or covered with a dense undergrowth. 

Twenty-five miles from the Strait of Juan de 
Fuca, Admiralty Inlet sends out toward the north- 
east another vast arm fifty-five miles long. East 
of Whidby Island this subdivides into Saratoga 
Passage, Susan's and Gardner's Bays, all consider- 
able bodies of water. Their shores, like those of 
Whidby Island, rise into bold bluffs from fifty to five 
hundred feet high, and have their crests crowned with 
valuable timber. The average depth of these grand 
inner seas is one hundred fathoms. Small settle- 
ments dot their shores. Good harbors are numerous. 

By those who have had good opportunity to 
judge, this network of water-ways is considered un- 
surpassed by any other inland system on the globe; 
especially if we take into account its extent, depth, 
beauty, and the multiplied advantages offered by 
its island and main-land shores for all kinds of agri- 
cultural and commercial purposes. 



THE GREA T INLAND SEA. 403 

111 a recent rcj)ort upon the Territory to the 
Secretary of the Interior, Governor Squire says: 
" Piiget Sound embraces a surface of about six thou- 
sand square miles, a total coast-line of over fifteen 
hundred miles, and extends from the ocean two 
hundred miles. Neither in the Strait of Juan de 
Fuca, Admiralty Inlet, nor Hood's Canal, does a 
shoal exist which can in any way interrupt their 
navigation by a seventy-four-gun ship; while the 
shores of the bays, ports, and inlets are so re- 
markably bold that a vessel's side would strike the 
shore before her keel would touch the I)<)ttoni." 
"With phraseology slightly different. Professor Da- 
vidson bears the same testimony, and adds: "An 
innumerable sea of gigantic timber comes down to 
their very shores." 

In these deep waters are represented all the 
finny and shell tribes of the ocean. Halibut — no 
better can be caught — heads the list. Then fol- 
low sturgeon, salmon, turbot, flounders, codfish — 
notably abundant off Cape Flattery — soles, smelt, 
oysters, clams, and herring, a fine species, and 
many others. 

The chief towns of the Sound are: Olympia, 
Tacoma, Seattle — the two last having each about 
twelve thousand inhabitants — and Port Townsend. 
Tacoma and Seattle are rival communities, both 
striving for the supremacy. Of the former, mention 
will be made in another chapter. The latter lies 



404 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

on Admiralty Inlet, about thirty-six miles north of 
Tacoma, and possesses almost exhaustless resources 
in coal, timber, and fertile soil. It has rich shops 
and stores, for a place of its size, schools and 
churches, and excellent society. 

The islands of the Sound contribute much to the 
picturesqueness of its scenery. On some exist fine 
quarries of lime and building stone. Others are 
inhabited by either herdsmen, lumbermen, fisher- 
men, or farmers. 

A moment now to the history of the Strait of 
Juan de Fuca. Tradition asserts that the first sea- 
man who entered the splendid channel, was a hardy 
Greek navigator of that name, his visit taking place 
in 1592, two hundred years before Vancouver in- 
vaded the entire group of waters. John de Fuca's 
claim to the distinction rests upon mere oral tradi- 
tion. But what matters that? His name will 
attach to the Strait for all time. Between 1787 and 
1792, the date of Vancouver's exploration, several 
parties ventured inside the great Strait, one or two 
penetrating it a distance of fifty miles. Of the 
latter was Captain Robert Gray, of Boston, whose 
name has passed into history as the discoverer of 
the Columbia Eiver, May, 1792, and to which he 
gave the name of his ship "the Columbia." He 
also discovered the spacious harbor on the coast of 
Washington, which now bears his name, applied to 
it, however, not by himself, but by Lieutenant 



THE GREAT INLAND SEA. 405 

Whidhv, who subsequently surveyed the noble 
haven, under Vancouver. 

It is an interesting fact that these two captains 
were on the North Pacific (-oast at the same time. 
Indeed, they actually met on the wide main, and 
exchanged maritime courtesies, though neither, 
probably, regarded the other with the most amicable 
feeling. The meeting occurred off the Washington 
Coast, in April preceding Gray's entrance into the 
Columbia. Gray was returning from a cruise to the 
North. The Discovery, accompanied by her tender, 
The Chatham, was plowing along in that direction. 
When about sixty miles south of the entrance to 
the Strait of Juan de Fuca, her captain espied a 
sail. This was a great novelty. Eight months had 
he traversed the seas, gladdened by the sight of not 
a single craft. So, upon hearing a gun fired to 
leeward, and seeing the American colors run up 
by the stranger, he accosted him, and inquired: 
"Who are you?" Gray responded. Whereupon 
Vancouver surmised that he had encountered the 
very Captain Gray who was reputed to have "sailed 
through the Strait of Juan de Fuca," a })assage of 
water for which the Englishman was then anxiously 
searching, and he politely requested the American 
to " bring to." Captain Gray complying. Lieuten- 
ant Puget, with another officer, was dispatched to 
The Columbia, to solicit such information as would 

promote the English expedition. The officers found 

35 



406 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

the commander of The Columbia very courteous, but 
much surprised to learn that he had " explored the 
Strait of Fuca." 

The interview over, the vessels passed on their 
ways, and on April 29th, the British ships came to 
anchor eight miles inside the imperial passage. The 
succeeding two months were spent by their officers 
in taking observations and making surveys, in yawl, 
cutter, and launch, of the ports, bays, straits, chan- 
nels, and inlets, to-day composing Puget Sound. 
That work completed, they pushed on northward, 
exploring the Archipelago de Haro, and the Gulf 
of Georgia, all along naming most of the land- 
points and bodies of water. 

Captain Vancouver was as much master of his 
pen, as of his ship, and of some of the scenes he 
saw, writes as follows — quite in the style of the 
sentimental novelist : 

"To describe the beauties of this region will, in 
some future day, be a very grateful task for the 
skillful panegyrist. The serenity of the climate, 
the innumerable pleasing landscapes, and the abun- 
dant fertility that unassisted nature puts forth, need 
only to be enriched — by the industry of man — with 
villages, mansions, and cottages, to render it the 
most lovely land that can be imagined." 

Of the forests he says : " These did not conceal 
the face of the country, but pleasantly clothed its 
eminences and checkered its valleys, presenting 



THE GREAT INLAND SEA. 



407 



vast spaces that wore the appearance of having been 
cleared by art, as did one of the beautiful islands 
we visited. The picture could not fail to call to 
mind certain delightful and beloved situations in 
Okl England." 

In this same vein does the busy captain devote 
page after page to discourse upon "the salubrity of 
the climate and the kindly disposed Indian tribes." 
He looked upon these scenes ninety-four years ago. 
The same park-like meadows are the pride of the 
region to-day. The same healthful climate is en- 
joyed. The soil still brings forth marvelously. 
Foot-hill and mountain teem with mineral wealth; 
and over the hills and valleys yet roam the 
"peaceable Indians," their admiration for the white 
man, albeit, decidedly abated, as is that of the white 
man for them. 




XI<III. 

©UI^NING ©I^BBS INJFO (QONBY. 



THAT part of Washington Territory lying be- 
tween the Cascade Range and Puget Sound is 
as remarkable for its forests as is Kansas for its 
plains, or Arizona for its desert. Go where one 
will, trees encompass him — trees taller, more erect, 
of greater diameter, and nearer together, than Maine 
or Michigan ever grew them. Stand on this hill- 
top, and look around you, into the distance. The 
horizon is not where the land and sky seem to 
meet, but where the feathery tops of the fir, spruce, 
cedar, and hemlock, touch the blue. I look upon 
these forests, and my love of country is kindled. 
Not to take an interest in the timber question, on 
Puget Sound, is to be unpatriotic. Every tree is a 
mine of money, enhancing the riches of the world. 
It is a certain amount of the real wealth of the 
Union, as is every ton of coal, every nugget of 
gold, every bushel of wheat, every fleece on a 
sheep's back. I presume there is not a settlement 
west of the Cascade Range which is not thrown into 
relief, by a background of needle-like spires, mar- 
shaled in almost solid ranks. 
408 



TURNING TREES INTO MONEY. 409 

In Washington Territory tliere are twenty mill- 
ions of acres clothed with giant trees, thousands of 
which have been growing from one to two centuries. 
Watson C. Squire, the present Executive of the Ter- 
ritory, says: "It is estimated that on these acres 
stand four hundred billion feet of merchantable lum- 
ber, chiefly growing on the western side of the 
Cascade Range." The reader will naturally ask : 
" What is doing with all this vast body of tim- 
ber?" There are. several answers to the question. 
Millions of feet are annually destroyed by forest 
fires, which sometimes burn for weeks in succession. 
Again, acres of trees are consumed every year, in 
order to clear the land for homes and agricultural 
purposes. Finally, they furnish material for the 
leading industry of Western Washington — the man- 
ufacture of lumber. And this brings me to the 
purpose of this chapter, namely : The describing 
one of the mammoth saw-mills of Puget Sounrl, 
and its various accessories. 

The property of the " Tacoma Mill Company," 
is located on the southern shore of Commencement 
Bay, in the outskirts of Old Tacoma, two miles west 
of Tacoma proper. It consists of the great mill 
itself; a large store, stocked with general merchan- 
dise and articles of ship-chandlery, for the refitting 
of vessels engaged in the trade; a wharf, with eight 
hundred feet of frontage, at which lumber-vessels 
and merchantmen receive and disehartre their ear- 



TURNING TREES INTO MONEY. 411 

goes; a large boarding-lionso, wliieh furnishes moals 
and lodging to numbers of single men employed by 
the firm; some twenty or more comfortable cottages 
for the families of married laborers, on the ])rem- 
ises ; a square, tower-like structure, built of brick, 
for consuming rejected material fnim the mill ; a 
miniature lake, about four acres in extent, for sup- 
])lying the mill with water, and the offices of the 
company. 

The mill was erected in 1868, with a capacity 
for cutting thirty thousand feet of lumber per day. 
Its power has since been increased until its present 
output per day is the enormous quantity of two 
hundred and fifty thousand feet. The establishment 
turns out all sizes of lumber, from a strip one inch 
by two to material twenty-two inches by twenty- 
four, and varying in length from ten to one hun- 
dred and ten feet, and, if occasion demands, a much 
greater length. In one instance it has furnished a 
ship's keel one hundred and sixty-five feet long. 
Spars, laths, and pickets are manufactured in almost 
unlimited quantity. 'The total product of the mill 
last year was fifty million feet of lumber, eighteen 
million ket of lath, many hundred thousand pickets 
and wool-slats, and six hundred spars. Employ- 
ment is given to two hundiod and sixty men. 

In full operation, the mill presents a sight never 
to be forgotten. Douiile throughout, equipped with 
the most approved machinery, it does the work of 



412 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

two powerful single mills. Each mill can take in 
hand a gigantic log — say diameter eight feet, length 
thirty feet — and subjecting it to the keen-edged, 
double circular saws, in ten minutes reduce it to 
dimensions adapted to the re-saw. The enormous 
log fairly melts away before one's eyes. The power 
applied is simply prodigious. 

" Fifteen years ago," remarked a gentlemen 
M-atching the proceedings, " it required as much 
time to manufacture forty thousand feet of lumber 
as it now does to cut one hundred thousand feet." 
That was saying very little. The mill of which we 
are speaking now cuts daily eight and one-third times 
more lumber than when erected sixteen years ago. 

The complete outfit of the mill, in the way of 
machinery, is five engines, twelve boilers, two double 
circular saws, two gangs, of thirty saws each, one 
re-saw, two lath-making and three slab-cutting ma- 
chines, one rob-edger for cutting scantling and edg- 
ing lumber, and four elevators used in conveying 
the sawdust to the to]> story, whence, falling into the 
furnaces, it produces the steam which drives every 
particle of the machinery. 

The time consumed from the moment a piece 
of timber forty feet long enters one of the gang 
saws until it is ready for market, is three minutes. 
From three to four logs at a time are usually drawn 
out of the water into the mill. 

Foreign ships from all parts of the globe take 



TURNING TREES INTO MONEY. 413 

on cargoes of lumber at the great dock. The most 
frequent destinations are China, Japan, Australia, 
the Sandwich Islands, and other Pacific groups, 
besides special ports on the western coast of South 
America, and Motevideo, in Uraguay. Numerous 
cargoes go to New York and Boston. Yesterday a 
ship was loaded with spars, planking, and decking 
for the latter port. An average of eight vessels 
per month are freighted at the company's wharf. 
The ordinary capacity of lumber vessels is from five 
to six thousand feet. But occasionally a ship clears 
with a cargo of one and a half million feet. In 
addition to this distant traffic, the mill drives a 
brisk business with our own Pacific Coast. For this 
home commerce the company owns a fleet of four 
vessels. These transport lumber as far south as 
San Pedro, in Southern California. 

Another important portion of its marine prop- 
erty is its tug-boat, the most powerful one in the 
Sound service. This homely craft not only tows 
lumber- vessels to and from Cape Flattery — ^just in- 
side the Strait of Juan de Fuca— but does the log- 
towing for the mammoth mill. Not infrequently it 
draws, from a station near some camp, a boom of 
logs comprising from two to two and a half milliun 
feet of lumber. 

It is here pertinent to remark that this fine mill, 
with all its splendid machinery capable of such 
lightning-like execution, is of little value without 



414 WASFIINGTON TERRITORY. 

something to smo. To produce flour, wheat must 
be harvested. So, to make lumber, trees must be 
felled in the forest. Aware of this, and having 
seen how great execution this mill is capable of in 
one day, we are not surprised to learn, that in order 
to keep it steadily running, fifteen or more logging 
camps, aggregating five hundred men, are main- 
tained in the forests. These lodges are scattered all 
through the densely timbered land of the Sound, 
from the city of Olympia on the south to the bor- 
ders of the Snohomish and Skagit rivers on the 
north, including territory on Fidalgo Island and 
along Hood's Canal. Men of every nation bear a 
hand in the arduous work of harvesting the trees. 
Authority is silent as to how many of them chop 
fortunes for themselves out of the forests; but I 
venture to say, that like most of the salmon-fishers 
of the Columbia, the majority gain but a precarious 
livelihood. 

The tiny hamlet, in the foreground of which 
stand the mill and its companion, the store, is known 
among lumbermen as the " Mill Town," because 
occupied exclusively with the boarding and dwelling 
houses of the employees. The premises embrace 
twenty-eight acres. 

Since darkness sets in, in this latitude, before 
five o'clock in Winter, work in the mill continues 
long after candle-lighting. To facilitate this the 
building is lighted by electricity. 



416 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

I have described this mill thus particularly, be- 
cause it is a specimen of its class. Eight or nine 
others of little less capacity are operating on the 
Sound, besides numbers of smaller dimensions. 
Others are running in the mountains, sending forth 
their products to the railways, or water-courses, in 
long flumes laid down the sides of the mountains. 
The witnessing the escape of the lumber from one 
of these inclined tubes is an interesting and exciting 
experience. It comes rushing down from an un- 
known source, oftentimes so distant that the hum 
of the mill which manufactures it can not be heard. 
Out it leaps from the mouth of the flume like a 
thing of life, having accomplished a journey of five 
miles perhaps. The success with which the thing 
is done is amazing. 

The famous timber-belt of Washington Terri- 
tory extends from the Columbia River north, to 
British Columbia; from the Cascade Mountains 
■west, to the Pacific; and, it is claimed, has no rival 
in the world. Its chief growths are: fir, three va- 
rieties — cedar, spruce, larch, and hemlock. Existing 
in varying quantities, are: ash, alder, white oak, 
curled maple, and cottonwood. Red fir abounds, 
and is the most valuable for general building pur- 
poses. Its habitat is the light gravelly soil hem- 
ming the Sound to some distance back. The yellow 
fir is at home on the foot-hills, and attains an aston- 
ishing size and height. A diameter of six, eight. 



TURNTNG TREES INTO MONEY. 417 

and ten feot, with an altitude of two and three hun- 
dred feet, is by no means unusual. The cedar also 
acquires gigrntic dimensions. Not infrequently 
single trees yield eight and ten thousand feet of 
serviceable lumber. A gentleman tells me that lie 
once obtained "fifteen rail-cuts," each ten feet long, 
from one of these notable cedars, and from them 
split five hundred and twenty-five rails, leaving, at 
the final cutting, a very considerable top, twenty- 
three inches in diameter. 

The Washington red cedar — not identical with 
the red cedar of the East. — reaches its best estate in 
moist situations remote from the salt water. Being 
easily worked, the cedar, spruce, ash, and curled 
maple, are much utilized as finishing woods. The 
Cottonwood is a favorite of the coopers, but, being 
an occupant of rich, productive lands, its extermina- 
tion is snre. The tall, tapering, perfectly erect 
trees of this region, are said to make the finest 
possible spars for ships. Captain Vancouver dis- 
covered this quality in them, and soon set his car- 
penters to fitting out The Discovery with new masts 
and booms. Undoubtedly, those were the first spars 
for ships ever cut on Puget Sound. 



Sagoma. 

FULL OK STUMPS AND ENTERPRISK. 



BEFORE me lies a letter, apparently from an in- 
telligent citizen of Illinois, asking a series of 
questions relating to Washington Territory and the 
city of Tacoma. The writer, though quite be- 
nighted with reference to the western terminus of 
the Northern Pacific Railway, evidently does not 
dwell in that part of the Garden State popularly 
called " Egypt," and there is hope, therefore, that 
the subjoined items may at some time reach him. 

The communication was addressed to the head 
of the family at whose fireside I find most kindly 
welcome during my stay on the Sound. Not many 
months ago this man paid a visit to Illinois, and 
while there was much importuned to enlighten the 
people about the " Great North-west." He had 
seen it change from a region populated chiefly by 
solemn Red Men to one in which reigns the Anglo- 
Snxon, and talks the telephone and telegraph; and 
he surely, if any body, was reliable authority. But 
failing to comply with these requests in every in- 
stance, there followed him to his Western home an 

army of interrogations, as naive, some of them, as 
418 



TACOMA. 419 

they were urgent, thus inflicting upon him a refined 
punishment for his dereliction in duty. 

Away from the Sound, the stranger on the coast 
hears of Old Tacoma, New Tacoma, Tacoma, and 
Tacoma City. Of course he is puzzled to know 
whether all are one, or one is all. liiit on arrival 
here he is quickly set right. There is but one 
Tacoma, and so far as the name is concerned, it is 
neither new nor old, but simply " Tacoma." And 
this reminds me of an incident which occurred at 
Chautauqua a few years ago. One day in August 
an energetic Ladies' Society of Jamestown sent a 
courteous note to Chancellor Vincent, requesting 
him to invite the thousands of people summering at 
" Point Chautauqua" — as the note had it — to attend 
a festival the ladies were holding in that handsome 
city. Stepping forward to the edge of the ])latform 
in the great amphitheater, where were seated barely 
less than four thousand people, the Doctor read the 
note until he came to the words "Point Chautau- 
qua." Then looking up, he inquired in stentorian 
tones: "Where is 'Point Chautauqua?' This is 
Chautauqua. There is but one Chautauqua." So 
we say : There is but one Tacoma. 

Breaking off from Admiralty Inlet, in a soutli- 
easterly direction, is Commencement Bay, ;i lovely 
sheet of water, deep, salt, full of fish, six miles long. 
At the head of this bay, on its south-eastern shore, 
lies the city of Tacoma, on a long, uneven, abruptly 



420 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

sloping hillside, which, at the water's edge, termi- 
nates mostly in a precipitous cliff. Further around 
to the east, the Puyallup River, one of the ten swift 
streams emptying into Puget Sound, makes its exit. 
Around its mouth lie acres of unreclaimed tide- 
land. From this there is a gradual ascent to a 
range of high bluffs not very distant. The re- 
mainder of the shore is bold, and was once heavily 
wooded. 

Along the base of the cliff mentioned are located 
the various wharves, several saw-mills, steamboat 
landings, shanties ocupied by Indians and Italian 
fisherman, and west of all these, the expensive coal- 
bunkers of the Northern Pacific Road, at which a 
half dozen ships may coal at one time. So steep 
is this cliff at some points that descent to the water 
is by long flights of steps. A few streets of easy 
grade give access to the water for vehicles. 

Including its first ward, Tacoma stretches along 
the bay a distance of about three miles, facing nearly 
north-east. Its streets, like those of Los Angeles, 
extend obliquely, without regard to the points of 
the compass. With the exception of Pacific Ave- 
nue, the chief business street, there is steady ascent 
and descent in all directions. Most of the streets 
have sidewalks on one side only. Those running 
lengthwise of the city are long and sightly. Few 
are graded to the city limits. Of the cross streets 
extending from the cliff to the crest of the hill. 



422 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

about every other one is provided with a sidewalk. 
Some are not entirely opened, and are strewn with 
fallen fir-trees and studded with stumps — stumps 
standing, stumps half uprooted, stumps partly burned. 
A vacant lot is a thing not to be had in the city, 
those not occupied by buildings being preoccupied 
by stumps. Nevertheless, it requires not the eye of 
a seer to discern that in but a brief time these 
stumps will vanish before the vim and enterprise 
of the people, like the fogs of the Puyallup Valley 
before the sun. 

Twelve years ago the site of Tacoma was but a 
wilderness. To-day, says a note just received — Jan- 
uary 12, 1888 — " the population is twelve thousand," 
making it equal to that of Seattle, hitherto its only 
rival in size in the Territory. Prominent features 
of Tacoma are : the almost total absence of shade 
and ornamental trees; its new hotel, "The Tacoma;" 
the central public school building, occupying an 
entire block on Yakima Avenue; the Annie Wright 
Seminary for young ladies, on Tacoma Avenue, 
where it commands fine views of the Sound and 
Cascade Mountains; and the college for young men. 
This institution opened January 1, 1886. The 
building is new, centrally located, and overlooks 
the magnificent country all around. The Methodists, 
also, are coming forward with a university, and the 
Catholics are on the way with a high-grade school 
of some kind. Thus, while yet in its infancy, is this 



TACOMA. 423 

energetic border town making munificent provision 
for educating all classes of Washington youth. 

The same generous plans have been formed for 
instructing the people in the ways of religion. 
There are many denominations in the place, each 
having its own minister and house of worship. 
Some of them are represented by a mere handful 
of members. Others are in comparatively strong 
force, and have services always well attended. 

The city is leading oif nobly, also, in the matter 
of a public library. This already flourishing insti- 
tution owes its existence to the laudable efforts of 
Mrs. H. K. Moore, an alumnus of Mills Seminary, 
California, who, in 1885, opened it to the public, 
having collected a creditable list of books for the 
purpose. In inviting quarters, on Pacific Avenue, 
sustained by the best citizens, and appreciated by 
those who have few books of their own, it promises 
to do a valuable work in the community. So to 
speak, it is here in advance of the people. To have 
founded it is a genuine honor. Even in the present 
influence and helpfulness of the place, Mrs. Moore 
is reaping no insignificant reward for the resolute 
effort she has put forth. 

Some two miles north-west of the main portion 
of the city, and connected therewith by a winding 
and romantic road, is a hamlet of a few hundred 
people, set down among the firs, cedars, spruces, and 
beeches. On the spurs, ?;lopes, and pretty little 



424 }f ASH TNG TON TERRITORY. 

levels of the bluff, which just there recedes from the 
hay, their homes are built. This little cluster of 
buildings, is the so-called "Old Tacoma," of which 
one hears so much, away from the Sound. It is 
now the First AVard of the city, and contains a pub- 
lic .school-house, one or two small churches, the 
Fannie Paddock Hospital — so named in memory of 
the deceased wife of Right Rev. J. A. Paddock, 
Episcopal Bishop of Washington Territory — one 
short street devoted to the sale of miscellaneous 
commodities, the saw-mill, store and cottages of the 
Tacoma Mill Company, and a few small private 
dwellings. 

On the principal street, scarcely more than a 
crooked path, leading from the water to the blutF, 
stands a little Episcopal chapel, the belfry of which 
is a curiosity. Unquestionably it is the oldest, as 
it is certainly the most unique, bell-tower on the 
coast, being simply the trunk of a stalwart fir-tree, 
with its top removed, some forty feet above the 
ground. It stands at one side of the chapel, flush 
with the front. On its top, under a tiny canopy, 
much resembling a half-opened Japanese parasol, 
hangs an infantile bell, said to be the first that ever 
called men to divine worship on Commencement 
Bay. Stripped of bark and blackened by fire, the 
sturdy stump thrusts some of its great roots under 
the very foundations of the house beside which it 
has stood guard for years. 



TACOMA. 



425 



Going out to the hamlet from Tacoma, the road, 
a little before reaching the place, recedes from the 
Bay considerably, until about opposite the village, 




St. Peter's Chapel, Tacoma, Oldest Bell-Tower on the Coast. 

when it quickly turns and descends to the shore, 
passing the little church I have described. Near 
this turning-jioint let us stop and study the scene 



4'2G WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

around us. I have seen on the coast few spots 
more weird and impressive. I first looked upon it 
about twilight of a cool October afternoon. Leav- 
ing my room, feeling wearied, after writing all 
day, I was lured along by one thing and another, 
until this picture suddenly arrested me. At my 
back rose the high bhiff, crested with trees, erect as 
arrows. Above me arched a sky of faint gold — the 
sun had set in great glory shortly before. Before 
me, so near that I could touch them, grew a dense 
thicket of cedars and spruces. Between some, and 
over the tops of others, I could see the Paddock 
Hospital, a cottage or two, and, further down, the 
calm blue bay. Hidden behind hillocks and knolls, 
lay the remainder of the hamlet. Mistaking the 
hospital for a church, I concluded that it and the few 
cottages must constitute the Old Tacoma, rumor of 
which had reached me even in the East, and that a 
few mortals, weary of our headlong American mode 
of life, had hidden themselves away in the silent 
vale, in the hope of a serene ending to their days. 
For a moment I envied them their peace. But 
after a moment's reflection, there was no question 
but that I preferred the wide battle-field, and a 
steady part in the warfare. 

But how short of the truth were my fancies ! 
Close under the steep clitf at my right, buzzed the 
great saw-mill, described in the preceding chapter, so 
charged with life and energy, that China and Japan 



TACOMA. 427 

on one side, and New York on the other, feel 
their effects. Still, for a little while, ignorance was 
bliss. Of the quaint place this story is told: One 
day, in 1864, a party of gentlemen from the Indian 
Reservation, at the head of the bay, floated down 
past this picturesque recess in the bluff, on a fishing 
excursion. Of the number was one Job Carr, re- 
cently arrived from the East. Observing the rough 
little dale, he remarked : 

"That would make a fine location for a town." 
His impressions were so deep that he soon after 
took up the section of land that included the pretty 
nook, and forthwith laid out a town thereon, and 
called it " Tacoma City." It started to grow; but 
in time, along came a party of engineers, making 
surveys for the much-talked-of railroad from Lake 
Superior to Puget Sound. Naturally, wherever the 
road should end, a city would spring up. The loca- 
tion, therefore, must be one offering space for a town 
of considerable extent. Happily the long incline 
on which Tacoma now stands, met the requirement. 
And to that point the Northern Pacific Company 
decided to come for its exodus to the sea. Mr. 
Carr's "City of Tacoma" fell within the limits of 
the site selected. Tacoma was just the name for 
the emporium yet to be, and was adopted at once, 
the settlement in the romantic vale becoming simply 
the First Ward of the new city. 

The name is taken from ISIount Takhoma, the 



428 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

grand snow-cone, whicli, in full view from the city, 
lifts its head far above the thousand summits of the 
Cascade Range. In the Indian tongue, the word 
signifies "the breast," primarily, because from it 
flow several swift streams of a milk-white color, 
due to a peculiar white clay soil, through which 
they course down its sides. 

A grander object than this glacier-clad mountain 
can scarcely be conceived. Distant from Tacoraa 
about forty-five miles by actual survey, and some- 
thing like sixty by the usual route taken, it appears 
to be scarcely five miles away, and sometimes even 
nearer. Fourteen thousand four hundred and forty- 
four feet above the sea, it is never relieved of its man- 
tle of snow, and is always imperial, always wonderful. 
On different occasions its snowy robe takes on differ- 
ent colors of the spectrum. I have seen it a faint 
blue, a pale green, a dark purple. The splendid ob- 
ject rises directly in front of my window, and glanc- 
ing toward it, as I pen this line, it wears a clear 
pink hue, the effect of the sunset now taking place. 

Between myself and the mountain lies the bay, 
smooth and cold. Looking down into it now, I see 
reflected there — a full mile away — the majestic cone, 
apex downward. On each side of it an army of 
firs and cedars stand on their heads. In and out 
among them, as easily as though water were their 
native element, sails a fleet of rose-tinted clouds. 
Did I not actually behold the scene, I should be 



TACOMA. 429 

exceed! II o;ly Hkoptical as to an object being reflt-cted 
in water forty-five miles distant. Indeed, I liavo 
seen it a score of times. Will the reader try to 
imagine the spectacle as it now appears to nie? 
The western heavens are all aglow with sunset colors. 
Off in the east stands the royal mountain, flanked 
by miles of imposing summits. Down in the bliu; 
bay is its beautiful negative, inverted and tinted 
with the farewell light of day. Watch it until the 
original is shut out by the darkness, and you will 
feel that you are not in a real world. 

Not long ago a citizen of the place stood upon 
the wharf, conversing with a friend from New York. 
Happening to glance toward the water at his feet 
he saw Mount Tacoma reflected therein as if in a 
mirror. Turning to the gentleman he asked: 

" Would n't you like to have a nearer view of 
Mount Tacoma than we now get from over the tree- 
tops yonder?" 

" I should, indeed," he replied. 

"There you have it," said the other, pointing to 
the deep water beside which they stood. The vis- 
itor was amazed, and almost doubted the evidence 
of'his eyes. 

Another resident tells me that he has twice seen 
the great cone cast a shadow over the city, as would 
a tall tree over a moor. 

An idea of the exceeding clearness of the atmos- 
phere may be gained from the statement that the 

37 



430 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

mounttiin is frequently visible from the city by 
moonlight. I myself have several times enjoyed 
the pleasure of so seeing it. 

Mount Tacoma contains a glacier of great extent. 
Some writer has said, " ten miles long and five miles 
broad." Lieutenant Van Kantz, who at one time 
attempted to scale the cone, relinquished his pur- 
pose on finding himself confronted by this vast field 
of ice. Others have accomplished the feat, but re- 
port immense ice-fields in the way. 

Late in the Summer, a member of this house- 
hold, thinking he lacked finish in the way of travel, 
although just returned from a trip to Europe, con- 
cluded that a jaunt to the snow-line on Mount Ta- 
coma would meet his want. Accordingly, in com- 
pany with a party as intrepid as it was small, he 
set out. Reaching the monarch, up and up they 
went on his side, until a height of over nine thou- 
sand feet had been gained. There they passed three 
days hunting wild goats amid the perils of its 
awful glacier. From the city of Tacoma the trip is 
made in two and a half days. Twenty-five miles 
are made by rail, and the remainder on horseback. 
Ascents are usually partial only, and rarely take 
place after August. 



She Gxpulsion op the Chinese. 



" 'T^HE Chinese must go," was an utterance heard 
J. on the street, in the shops, stores, offices, and 
homes of Tacoma, many times a day during the 
past month — October. In the city were several 
hundred of these people, engaged in different occu- 
pations, and all as busy as bees. During this period 
the question of their expulsion occasioned more 
serious thought on the part of the American citi- 
zens than did all other topics combined. All classes 
discussed the subject by the hour, formed opinions 
concerning it, and over it grew more or less anxious 
and excited, daily. Various were the reasons for 
this fever. One of the most apparent was the 
following: 

Many persons honestly regarded the steady en- 
croachments of the Asiatic race as a grave menace 
against American occupation of the coast; and, 
spurred on by the possibility of themselves becom- 
ing the inferiors in power and numbers, they de- 
termined to rise up and expel the Mongolians while 
they could. The plea appeared ludicrous, at first 
thought, and provoked an incredulous smile. The 

bare suggestion that the Flowery Kingdom could 

431 



432 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

pour upon this coast a sufficient number of its teem- 
ing millions to subvert its present apparently in- 
vincible occupants, savored of the weakest nonsense. 

But let us endeavor to see the situation as it 
appeared to these worried citizens. It was a fact 
that the Chinese were taking up one employment 
after another, and another, those of women as well 
as men, and in time monopolized each one. They 
were pushing on from city to city in ever-increasing 
force, everywhere finding work and making money. 
They were industrious to a fault, apt, skillful, obe- 
dient, could live on wages upon which the white man 
would starve, and in a condition utterly repellent to 
him. Without families to support, except in rare 
cases, their advantage over the American laborer was 
enormous. Besides, they were draining the coast of 
money, and therewith filling the banks of China. 
Moreover, none of them intended to become Amer- 
ican citizens. Not one in a hundred took any 
interest in the affairs of the country, or gave a 
thought to its welfare, or aided in sustaining its 
government and institutions. All these, and several 
more, were grave facts, and gave the people serious 
cause for feeling. But it was viewing the subject 
from a single stand-point. It had other aspects as 
deserving of attention, were it at all the province 
of these paragraphs to consider them, their purpose 
being simply to relate the history of the eviction. 

Active steps toward the expulsion of the Mon- 



THE EXPULSION OF THE CHINESE. 433 

golians from the Puget Sound Valley began in a 
conference of representatives from five counties, 
held in Tacoraa, Saturday, September 5th. This 
meeting recommended that committees be appointed 
to call upon all parties within the bounds of the 
conference, employing Chinese, and to request them 
to discharge all such laborers from their service, 
and also to sever all business relations with them. 
Committees were immediately organized to carry out 
the will of the conference. The limit of time fixed 
for the removal of the foreigners, was yesterday, 
Sunday, November 1st. Thus were two months 
allowed the gardeners, house-servants, laundrymen, 
shoemakers, stone-cutters, saw-mill hands, coal- 
miners, railroad employees, and so on, to arrange 
for their departure from the region. 

As the committees proceeded with their work, 
interest in the movement increased, both pro and 
con, throughout the valley. On every hand could 
be heard the pithy sentence, "The Chinese must 
go," while every day, clearer grew the evidence that 
a solution of the difficult problem was approaching. 
As the time passed, one organization after another, 
a company here, and a company there, quietly re- 
placed its Chinese with American laborers. Every 
such result added to the sentiment against the 
Celestials, and gave strength to the movement. 

In every community were persons who earnestly 
opposed the measure. These were, chiefly, parties 



434 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

employing the Chinamen as domestic servants, and 
some firms hiring them in large numbers. Certain 
ministers also, and other citizens, resisted the action 
on moral and Christian, as well as humanitarian 
grounds. The two daily journals espoused the cause 
of the evictors, and, in the heat of the controversy, 
failed to allow to certain of their townsmen the 
freedom of opinion and of speech which has always 
been our loud boast in this Republic. To those 
pastors, even, whose objections were both moderately 
and discreetly but firmly spoken, was certainly not 
accorded the courteous consideration due to their 
office and relations in the community. The jour- 
nals, however, endeavored faithfully to enlighten 
the public by setting forth the appalling filth and 
vicious practices in which the Chinese lived, wher- 
ever crowded together. And to these eiForts was 
largely attributable their complete removal from 
Tacoma, and also the restriction of Chinese immi- 
gration to this part of the coast. 

During the past two months, the Knights of 
Labor and the Order of the Golden Era — both vir- 
tually one thing, the latter being, among farmers, 
what the former organization is in towns and cities — 
have done their utmost to convince every individual 
Chinaman that the mandate to remove meant 
nothing short of total leave-taking. Meantime, 
numerous public meetings of the citizens have been 
held, and torchlight processions have paraded, while 



THE EXPULSION OF THE CHINESE. 435 

neighboring communities have lent each other their 
presence and influence, to fan the enthusiasm. 

Mcantitnc, again, tiie coolies far and near have 
heard the muttering of the thunder, have seen the 
growing dark cloud, and in large numbers have 
hurried preparations for sailing away home ere the 
storm should burst. On the other hand, the more 
intelligent and intrepid resolved to stand their 
ground, and see what would come of it. 

AVheu the first steps were taken ^toward expul- 
sion, there were in Tacoma about seven hundred 
coolies and trading Chinese. To-day probably three 
hundred remain to test the warnings of the Knights 
of Labor. The entire Sound Valley contained be- 
tween four and five tiiousand. From Whatcom, 
Benton, Wilkeson, South Prairie, and Port Blakely 
they are reported to have wholly disappeared. By 
the "Franklin," " Carbondale," and "Black Dia- 
mond " coal companies they have been discharged, as 
well as from several fish-canneries and large saw-mills. 

The final demonstration against this people 
took place on Saturday evening last, in the form of 
a street parade, and was as impressive as Tacoma 
and considerable delegations from her neighbors, 
Seattle and Puyallup, could make it. It had been 
previously proclaimed that after the procession there 
would occur a meeting of the committees, at which 
would be determined the course to be taken with 
coolies found in the city after midnight. 



436 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

This statement put every body on the qui vive to 
ascertain how matters stood the moment Sunday 
morning dawned. Being myself far from indif- 
ferent on the subject, and having risen at an early 
hour, I stepped to a window of my room overlook- 
"ing the rear veranda of a neighbor's house, where 
usually at that hour stood Charlie, the Chinese serv- 
ant, busy with preparations for the morning meal. 
To my surprise he was at his post, in sacque and 
apron white as snow, quietly getting the breakfast. 
Presently an elderly Chinaman passed down the 
avenue, and during the day several others appeared 
on the streets. 

Desiring to learn the exact situation of affairs 
before penning this account, accompanied by the 
friend in whose home I dwell, I called upon Mr. 
R. J. Weisbach, the mayor of Tacoma, for sitch in- 
formation in the case as he felt disposed to impart. 
Being a tradesman of the city, as well as its chief 
officer, we found him at his store on Pacific Avenue. 
Mr. Weisbach is a German, as his name indicates, 
but he speaks English well, and is courteous, affable, 
and very intelligent. As one of the Knights of 
Labor, he has been active in the crusade against 
the Chinese. Upon my inquiring what course would 
be pursued in reference to those remaining in the 
town, he replied : 

*' I can not now state exactly. They have been 
informed that they must leave. The time allowed 



rilE EXPULSION OF THE CHINESE. 437 

thera for preparation has expired. They are aware 
of that. If any of them choose to tarry and take 
the consequences, we can not help it." 

" No acts of violence will be committed against 
them, I presume ?" 

" None whatever. The probable course will be 
a strict system of boycotting, which will certainly 
result in their departure." 

" Have most of those already gone returned to 
China ?" 

" From the entire coast between six and seven 
thousand have sailed for home. About four thou- 
sand have gone to Eastern cities. From the vicinity 
of the Sound a large number have found quarters 
in Portland, where there is little hostility toward 
them. Also, a strong force has congregated at 
Olvmpia. We rather encourage their emigration to 
Eastern cities. Our brethren there have ever felt 
little sympathy for the people of this coast in their 
trials with the Chinese, and we want them to have 
an opportunity to exercise their benevolence and 
philanthropy toward the strange race." 

"Are many of your citizens opposed to this 
movement against cheap labor?" 

" No. The contrary is true. We have here two 
classes. One lives on the products of its own labor. 
The other subsists on the fruit of other people's 
toil. The latter class laments the loss of th6 
Chinese." 



438 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

" What view of the subject is held by the dis- 
tinctively Christian portion of the community?" 

"Opinion is, of course, divided. The Presby- 
terian and Congregational ministers, with some 
others, disapprove of the course, and think we should 
retain the Chinese in our midst and try to elevate 
them. The Unitarian, Universalist, Catholic, and 
Disciple pastors are of the opinion that the country 
would be better off if a Mongolian had never 
crossed the sea." 

"Chiefly, what occupations have the Chinese fol- 
lowed in this country?" 

" In large numbers they have been domestic serv- 
ants and laundrymen ; then gardeners, coal-miners, 
ditchers, laborers on the railways, workers on the 
streets, makers of ladies' and children's underwear, 
contractors, merchants, brokers for themselves and 
also for the Americans." 

"You are confident the order of the Knights 
of Labor will succeed in expelling these men from 
the city?" 

" It will. Undoubtedly it will." 

Bidding the gentleman "good-day," I called at 
a mercantile house a little farther down the avenue 
to make some trifling purchase. Immediately the 
absorbing topic was mentioned. Whereupon the 
merchant said, with no slight fervor: 

" Not a race on the earth can stand before the 
Chinese, as they are pushing their way in America. 



THE EXPULSION OF THE CHINESE. 439 

Were they to-day allowed to flock into the Sound 
Valley in such numbers as they came here three 
years ago, we ourselves should soon have to leave." 

Entering the office of the Northern Pacific Rail- 
way on my way home, I was politely greeted by its 
single occupant, who, upon my inquiring what atti- 
tude the Western IManagement took with reference 
to the agitation, replied: 

" I think I can say that to a man the officers 
of the road indorse the movement, although the 
Northern Pacific Road is a considerable employer 
of coolie labor. Some days since, its representatives 
stated to the Knights of Labor, that if the Order 
would guarantee the road a sufficient force of white 
laborers, it would discharge its Chinese hands. In- 
deed," he continued, " there are but few men in the 
community who are not of the opinion that the 
welfare of the place requires the expulsion of the 
Chinese." 

Tuesday, November 3d. — In the afternoon of yes- 
terday the great excitement culminated in the almost 
total exodus of the Mongolians. The principal 
movers in the proceedings were the Knights of 
Labor and some others in sympathy with them. 
The two following paragraphs, condensed from an 
account of the affair given in the Tacoma Daily 
Evening News, are evidence that the measures adopted 
for their removal were not altojrothcr fhose of 
" strict bovcoltincr." 



440 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

During the morning the '' Committee of Fifteen" 
paid a visit to the various Chinese quarters in the 
city. In obedience to a preconcerted signal given 
by the steam whistles, a force of about five hundred 
persons assembled, and attended this committee, as 
a sort of body-guard. The Chinese establishments 
were visited in succession, and the inmates informed 
that they '' must pack up at once." An intelligent 
Chinaman was induced to act as interpreter on 
the occasion, and to aid in securing entrance into 
the buildings. In most instances the coolies ap- 
peared willing to comply. Some asked for an ex- 
tension of time, while others assumed airs of inde- 
pendence and unconcern. Upon arriving at the 
tenaments located on the wharf, the guide of the 
"Committee of Fifteen" observed a hand-bill in 
Chinese posted at a conspicuous point. After read- 
ing this, he objected to proceeding in his mission, 
and was released. In this locality a few refused to 
open their doors, and were for the time passed 
undisturbed. 

The committee and its escort now proceeded to 
the First Ward — Old Tacoma. Here were discov- 
ered, stowed away in a labyrinth of dens, fifty-one 
men. Urged to pack up their eifects at once, they 
complied, and were escorted to the city by the evic- 
tors. At a joss-house near were found three others 
•who joined the procession. Returning now to 
the wharf, the committee searched every nook and 



THE EXPULSION OF THE CHINESE. 441 

corner, and ordered all occupants of the place to pre- 
pare to leave. By four o'clock in the afternoon 
something over two hundred, accompanied by their 
luggage in wagons, and attended by the committee 
and an escort of citizens, moved down Pacific Ave- 
nue, and thence out into the country toward Lake- 
view, a station on the Northern Pacific Road, about 
eight miles distant. 

To something less than twenty of the men the 
Committee granted the further extension of time 
requested. And three who were ill — one of whom 
was a leper — were allowed to tarry until recovery, 
or for more comfortable transportation. "A force 
of about thirty Tacomans " passed the night at 
Lakeview with the ejected people. This morning 
the railway sent out cars to convey the latter to 
Portland. Thus was accomplished that most sin- 
gular event in American history — the expulsion of 
the Chinese from Tacoma. 

The papers of to-day state that throughout the 
action of yesterday not a deed of violence was com- 
mitted against the Chinese, and that the sheriff, 
who was constantly in attendance, at no time inter- 
fered with the proceedings. All this is doubtless true. 
Still there were some features of the closing scene 
which were calculated to excite commiseration for 
the outgoing company. 

Rain was falling steadily as they passed out into 
the open country. There were a few women in the 



442 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

wagons. Some of the men were in tears. They 
were leaving with some — to say the least — pecuniary 
losses, and with indefinite prospects ahead. A citi- 
zen relates that as the procession was about to start 
he saw a coolie apply at a provision store for some 
article of food, for which he offered to pay; but it 
was persistently refused him by the dealer, though 
he pleaded strenuously : " Me hungry. Me starve." 

The inhuman act, it is needless to add, was 
heartily condemned by those who witnessed it, and 
if the kindly deed of one person can balance the 
cruel one of another, it was fully offset by certain 
parties employing Chinese servants, who, it is said, 
upon their leave-taking, abundantly supplied them 
with food for the journey. As a matter of course, 
some inconvenience will be experienced in the place 
by this sudden surrender of laborers. Feeling it 
not the least, will be the households in which num- 
bers of the coolies have served as domestics. Dis- 
cussing the subject, the ladies have often asked : 
" What shall we do for reliable help ?" 

As an appendix to this account, I may state that 
about eleven o'clock next day after the eviction, the 
Chinese tenements on the wharf were found to be 
in flames, and in a few minutes were reduced to 
smoke and debris. And before night those in the 
First Ward also disappeared by the same agency. 
These were said to be reeking with filth, from which 
nothing less effective than fire could cleanse them. 



THE EXPULSION OF THE CHINESE. 443 

As the flames from the wharf arose in the air, 
numerous were the inquiries as to who were the 
authors of the arson, for it was hardly supposed the 
fire was accidental. One of the tarrying Celestials 
was promptly arrested as the probable incendiary; 
but, evidence failing to convict him, he was set at 
liberty. So, " Who applied the torch ?" is still the 
question. 

November 12th. — The remarkable promptitude of 
the President of the United States in ordering 
troops to Puget Sound, the haste of the marshal of 
the Territory in serving warrants of arrest upon the 
leaders in the Chinese crusade, together with the 
almost simultaneous appearance of a manifesto from 
Governor Squire, warning all citizens in the "dis- 
affected districts against taking part in any breach 
of the peace," and against " inciting others to riot- 
ous acts," as well as the calling upon the officers 
of the law "to preserve order in the excited com- 
munities, and to secure to Chinese residents freedom 
from assault," have placed the trouble in Western 
Washington in the category with those which do not 
" blow over in sixty days." 

Then, too, closely following these acts, came a 
Proclamation by the President, declaring the citizens 
of the Puget Sound district to be in a "state of 
insurrection," and charging that " the laws of the 
Territory could not be enforced by ordinary judi- 
cial proceeding," that " life and property were iu 



444 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

danger," and that " the uprising was of such import- 
ance, as to require the presence of the military for 
its suppression." 

Barely had those who were most aggressive in 
the expulsion of the Chinese, returned from Lake- 
view, and resumed their occupations, ere these pro- 
nunciamentos were flying in the air. Some action 
on the part of Governor Squire was indeed antici- 
pated. But had a thunderbolt fallen suddenly at 
the feet of the Committee of Fifteen, its members 
could hardly have been more startled than upon 
reading this proclamation by the President. And 
to the majority of the community the document 
seemed the most absurd thing in the world. 

Nobody was in a state of insurrection, it was 
claimed. Life and property were never more secure. 
The whole unfavorable impression which had gone 
abroad, was due to the groundless fears of Governor 
Squire, the misrepresentations of newspapers opposed 
to the movement, and the malice of a few, whose 
interest it was to have the Chinese remain. The 
eviction had been accomplished without shedding 
a drop of blood. And those who had so well per- 
formed the deed were now industriously at work. 
What nonsense, therefore, to order such citizens 
" to go peaceably home !" 

Scarcely had the President's notice reached the 
people, ere a special train left Tacoma, to bring up 
from Portland, troops ordered to the Sound from 



THE EXPULSION OF THE CHINESE. 445 

Fort Vancouver. This step had no other effect than 
to provoke amusement. 

"What will they do when they get here?" in- 
quired some. 

"How will they manage to put down a people 
who are not at all in rebellion?" asked others. 

" Let them come," said the calm-minded. "We 
shall be glad to see them. It will give the boys a 
change." 

Soon the soldiers appeared, a portion of them 
encamping in Tacoma, and the remainder proceed- 
ing to Seattle, to "quell the uprising in that city." 
This they accomplished in the rather unique way 
of " levying upon every Chinaman in the place a 
special tax of twenty-five cents, wherewith to re- 
plenish their personal exchequer," after too freely 
spending the money in pocket when they left 
Vancouver. 

Meanwhile the grand jury at Vancouver found 
true bills against twenty-five citizens of Tacoma for 
complicity in the anti-Chinese movement. Among 
them were: His Honor, Mayor Wiesbach, the Judge 
of Probate, several councilmen of the city, the 
editor-in-chief of the Tacoma Daily Evening Netvs, 
a number of Grand Army veterans, and some 
others. Cited to appear at once, the parties ar- 
ranged their affairs for an indefinite absence, and 
one by one appeared at the rendezvous whence they 

were to set out. "At the train, upon their depart- 

38 



446 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

ure, was assembled quite a concourse of the citizens, 
who, as the train moved off, toolc them by the hand 
and wished them success." On the same train, also, 
the soldiers placed their camp equipage and them- 
selves, and sped back to Vancouver, having found in 
Tacoma no casus belli. The company dispatched to 
Seattle, to look after the interests of law and order 
in the bright town, tarried a few days longer. 

The indicted Tacoraans were detained at Depart- 
ment Head-quarters but a few days and were 
then released on bail, their trial being set for the 
next term of court at Tacoma. At the session, upon 
the case coming up, the indictments were immedi- 
ately annulled, and the parties discharged. Then 
the affairs of the Sound Valley adjusted themselves 
to the new order of things, and the unique uprising 
was a matter of the past. 

A note received from a friend in Tacoma, as this 
work is in preparation for the press, states : 

" We have reason to be glad now, that we have 
no Chinese among us. To-day the neat little cot- 
tages of well-paid laborers are seen, in place of the 
wretched dens the former occupied. One glance at 
a group of poor lepers huddled together, on their 
way through Portland, the other day, sufficed to 
remove all regret over our promptness in ridding 
our city of their race." 



XI,VT. 

fl I^AiNY Season in the SUGet 
Sound Ualley. 



OlSIITTING the loneliness produced by the sora 
ber skies, a rainy season in Western Wash- 
ington affords a novel, rather than a disagreeable, 
experience, particularly to one accustomed to see 
the liquid fall chiefly in showers, and during all 
periods of the year. Especially is this true if one's 
habitation happens to be on a sightly hillside down 
which the water flows away freely, and if one can 
get everywhere by going up or down hill, as is the 
case in these Sound cities. 

The rainy period begins at no established date. 
It may delay until the middle of November, but its 
advent is usually earlier. The 28th of October 
witnessed its introduction the present year, and we 
have now had over one month of quite steady rain, 
varied by two entire days of radiant sky. During 
the first ten days there were frequent showers, with 
intervals of genial sunshine between. But at night 
down came the fluid continuously on roof and win- 
dow-pane, producing music which vividly recalled 
these animated lines: 



" Myriads of massive rain-drops 
Have fallen on all around ; 



447 



448 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

Some have danced upon the house-tops, 
Some have hidden in the ground. 

They were hquid-Uke musicians 
With any thing for keys ; 

Beating tunes upon the windows, 
Keeping time upon the trees." 

Occasionally the very flood-gates seemed to open 
and pour down millions of tiny streams. Then 
would the music swell into a great volume of sweet 
sound, composing a grand chorus, in which the total 
orchestra of the heavens took part. For hours in 
the night have I listened to the exciting perform- 
ance. How the rapid movement recalled those 
words of the melancholy Jeremiah : " When He ut- 
tereth his voice there is a multitude of waters in 
the heavens" — a statement which answers God's 
question to suffering Job: "Hath the rain a father?" 

Did ever Mr. Theodore Thomas's musicians try 
to imitate the music of pouring rain? If not, the 
Puget Sound basin would afford them fine oppor- 
tunity for practice under a teacher unexcelled. 
And why would not the imitating for fifteen min- 
utes, some warm Summer evening, the varying tones 
of the rain-drops, with harps, fifes, flutes, cornets, 
drums, violins, bass-viols, large horns, and small 
horns, furnish a diversion well worth a dollar to hear? 

But on this northern coast, the days of rain con- 
stant, not less than those of rain intermittent, bring 
advantages, not alone to the old earth, made "soft 
with showers," but to the housewives of these young 



A RAINY SEASON. 449 

and social cities. They provide opportunities for 
accomplishing needed family sewing, and long de-» 
laved patching and darning; for writing letters to 
loved ones " back in the States;" for "putting to 
rights " disordered pantries and closets; and, best of 
all, for calming minds distracted by interruptions 
innumerable during the long cheery Summer-time. 

" Do you wonder," said a dear friend to me 
yesterday morning, as she and her daughters seated 
themselves for a day at sewing, ''that we hail the 
rainy season with some satisfaction? A day like 
this" (there was "a sound of abundance of rain" 
outside) " is a real blessing to us. We shall prob- 
ably have no company, and so shall get on with 
our work." 

There is something in the very nature of the 
bright days in this region, which allures people out 
of doors, and renders them socially inclined. This, 
added to the fact that many are far from home and 
friends, and therefore are appreciative of courtesies 
shown them, makes regular routine in agreeable and 
hospitable families almost impossible. Somebody is 
ever dropping in to spend a little time. So away 
speed the Summers, leaving all except the impera- 
tive tasks unaccomplished, perhaps. 

Although the last day of November, the grass 
is a bright green and the air Spring-like. Out of 
doors are blooming roses, mignonette, marigolds, 
chrysanthemums, and other flowers. I am writing 



450 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

without fire, and have spent few days in a warm 
j'oom since my arrival here. Last evening was re- 
markably Summer-like. The sun dropped into the 
Pacific before five o'clock. The half-moon beamed 
down brightly. Everywhere were people out en- 
joying the beauty. A hundred tiny rivulets, full 
of speed, merry as larks, were singing their Avay 
down to the Sound, the rain-clouds having departed 
with the sun. I often stop, on my way down into 
the city, beside one of these talking brooks,, and 
listen to its suggestive sayings. Do not imagine 
that this open state of the weather will continue 
until Spring. January and February will bring 
light snows; will send the mercury down nearly to 
zero, and will hold it there a few days, possibly; 
but the rigor will be far from Siberian. The Win- 
ter climate of the Sound — the average temperature 
being thirty-nine degrees — "is milder than that of 
"Washington City, lying eight degrees farther south 
thanTacoma." TheWinters are less severe even, than 
in Eastern Washington, as are the Summers cooler. 
Two causes conduce to this constant moderate 
temperature of the coast from San Francisco to 
Sitka. These are the south-west trade-winds and 
the Kuro Sivo, or Japan Warm Stream. Hon. S. 
Garfield, a former delegate to Congress from the 
Territory, and for twenty years a resident of the 
Pacific Slope, says, in an article on the climate of 
Puget Sound : "As far north as the forty-ninth 



A RAINY SEASON. 451 

parallel flowers bloom, and vegetable life is vigor- 
ous until far into the Winter. Frost seldom con- 
tinues longer than from four to fifteen days. But 
little snow falls, not enough to obstruct locomotion, 
and ice suitable for domestic uses is the exception." 

The existence of the Gulf Stream, or warm 
river, which, with a constant tendency toward the 
north-east, flows along our Atlantic sea-board not 
far out from shore, is a fact well known to most 
readers. But that southward along our entire 
western coast, there ever surges a warmer current, 
compared with which the Gulf Stream is as noth- 
ing in extent, very few persons are awiirc For 
this reason, and because it naturally attaches to 
the subject of climate, upon which we are speak- 
ing, I devote a page or two to the vast "Black 
River" of the Pacific, as the stream is called by the 
Japanese, on account of the intense blue of its 
waters. For information on the subject, I am in- 
debted chiefly to an able work on the oceanic currents, 
by Elisee Reclus, and entitled "Reclus's Ocean." 
I condense his ample treatment of the subject to the 
narrow limits afforded by this book, and therewith 
mingle some important remarks by Mr. Garfield, 
presenting all in my own phraseology. 

In equatorial latitudes the water of the great 
oceans is heated to such a degree, by the fervor of 
the sun's rays, that vast quantities of the fluid rise, 
in the form of vaj)or, into the cool strata of the 



452 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

atmosphere. Here a portion soon condenses, and 
returns to the ocean in the form of rain. But a 
large part of it is borne off by aerial currents, to fall 
upon seas and continents far distant. The amount 
of water so displaced, is estimated to equal one 
hundred and twenty trillion cubic yards annually. 
This enormous displacement by evaporation leaves 
an immense void in the oceans. For filling this va- 
cancy Nature has various schemes. One of them — 
that in which we are now interested — is the pour- 
ing into the equatorial basins a mass of water from 
the polar seas, where the annual loss by evaporation 
is much exceeded by the annual supply of rain, 
snow, and melted ice. This superabundance of 
fluid at the poles, constantly tends toward the tor- 
rid zone, in two currents, one from the south, the 
other from the north, meeting each other in both 
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and thence de- 
scribing regular orbits through the seas, as do the 
heavenly bodies through space. 

Do these ocean rivers bear to the void at the 
equator just enough water to fill it? No. They 
carry too much. Now let us see what then hap- 
pens. Upon their arrival in tropical latitudes, they 
encounter a third tremendous current. Whence is 
that? The earth, revolving on its axis, turns from 
west to east. At the equator, and for some distance 
north and south of it, this motion starts a current 
of water Avestward in both oceans. The polar cur- 



A RAINY SEASON. 453 

rents, in their respective journeys, nortliward mid 
southward, cross latitudes where the speed of the 
earth's rotation is greater than their own veh)city. 
This deflects them toward (he west, so that, arriving 
in the tropics, they strike the equatorial current 
obliquely, and uniting therewith they form one 
mighty oceanic river bound across the Pacific in a 
nearly straight line, the earth contributing to its* 
momentum, by its motion in the opposite direction. 
Thus is produced the great equatorial current of 
the globe. 

In the Pacific, the stream known as "Hum- 
boldt's Current" joins the magnificent tide about 
opposite Peru. Thence, in a straight line, the triune 
river proceeds on its triumphant march of at least 
two-thirds the distance around the globe, its mean 
width being not less than thirty-five hundred miles, 
or, extending from the twenty-sixth degree of south 
latitude to the twenty-fourth of north latitude, 
and its average speed being nineteen miles per day. 
In some places, at certain seasons, it attains a ve- 
l(>city twice as great. By its movement is displaced 
an immense quantity of water from one end of the 
globe to the other, roughly estimated at twenty 
trillion cubic yards daily. At the jwint of junction 
with Humboldt's Current it is known to proceed, en 
masse, with a depth of at least one mile. 

Reaching the shores of Asia and Australia, the 

vast stream divides, throwing out broad branches 

39 



454 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

toward either pole. The mighty body which sweeps 
northward, turned aside by New Guinea, the Phil- 
ippine Islands, and the cluster lying oflp the coast 
of China, bends to the north-east. When opposite 
Yeddo, in the Island of Niphon, its temperature is 
from ten to twelve degrees higher than the still 
water through which it flows. In passing this 
'island, the current — now become the Kuro Sivo of 
the Japanese — deflects more decidedly toward the 
north-east, and " spreading out over a vast expanse 
of ocean, loses in depth, proportionally as it gains 
in breadth." 

North of Japan the Kuro Sivo is met obliquely 
by an Arctic current emerging from the Sea of 
Okhotsk, on its way to in part replace the void at 
the tropics. In the same manner does the Atlantic 
Gulf Stream encounter, below the Banks of New- 
foundland, a cold, deep tide from the polar sea. 
In both oceans, banks of thick fog signalize the 
meeting of the cold and warm waters. Like the 
Gulf Stream the Kuro Sivo is " compounded of 
liquid bands of unequal temperature, flowing beside 
each other, above the same liquid bed." For cen- 
turies before the seamen of the Western world had 
knowledge of the latter current, Japanese navigators 
well understood its. influence upon climate, and its 
importance in coast-wise voyages. 

The great mass of the Black River, warmed by 
long sojourn under a tropical sun, traverses the 



A RAINY SEASON. 455 

Northern Pacific from west to east, until, arriving 
under the Aleutian Islands, it divides, the larger 
portion making a graceful curve below the Penin- 
sula of Alaska, whence it bends southward and 
skirts the coast of British Columbia, Washington 
Territory, Oregon, and California, imparting to most 
of our own shore a Spring-like temperature even in 
midwinter. It continues as an off-shore current, 
until, breaking upon Cape Mendocino, in Northern 
California, it sends an immense branch northward, 
as an in-shore eddy, while the main body journeys 
on toward the void at the equator, again to augment 
the great mid-ocean river. 

The division thrown off at the Aleutian Islands, 
presses its way through Beh ring's Strait, then east- 
ward through the Arctic Ocean, southward through 
Baffin's Bay and Davis Strait, and onward along 
our Atlantic Coast — bringing down a rich cargo of 
icebergs and crisp fish — until it collides with the 
Gulf Stream under the Banks of Newfoundland, 
sinks under the shock into deep-sea waters, and 
thence hurries southward to make up the deficiency 
at the equator. Similarly does Humboldt's Current 
bring up from Antarctic lands a motley lading of 
stones, icebergs, and curious debris. 

In the Southern Hemisphere, counterpart 
branches of the equatorial current describe equally 
wonderful circuits. Thus, daily, are moved back 
and forth, all the large waters of the earth. Inex- 



45B WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

orable are the laws which make the ocean restless. 
Agitate they must. Stagnant they can never be- 
come. How amazing is this provision for the 
welfare of man ! 

Throughout its route of many thousand miles 
the Northern Pacific Warm Stream parts with but 
little of its caloric. From the Queen Charlotte 
Islands to San Francisco, a distance of more than a 
thousand miles, it declines barely two degrees in 
temperature. 

Probably the climatic conditions of no other 
portion of the coast are so decidedly influenced by 
the Kuro Sivo as is the Puget Sound Valley, and 
for this reason. In its totality the Sound embraces 
an area of two thousand square miles. The depth 
of its waters is very great. It has an " average 
tidal rise of about sixteen feet." Every day this 
surging tide brings into and carries out of this 
ramification of bays, inlets, and channels a quantity 
of water estimated at five thousand million cubic 
yards. In Summer, when other conditions would 
exalt the temperature to 90°, this prodigious mass 
of liquid, heated only to 52°, pours in daily, absorbs 
the surplus heat of the atmosphere, and gives to 
Western Oregon and Washington their fine Summer 
climate ; while in Winter, aided by the south-west 
winds, it holds the average temperature at thirty- 
nine degrees. Thus is the accommodating body both 
a furnace and a refrigerator, as the season requires. 



A RAIN Y SEASON. 457 

From this it must not be inferred that fires are 
indispensable in Spring and Autumn. In family- 
gathering rooms they are required of evenings from 
September to June. For fuel, both coal and wood — 
oak, alder, maple, fir, and especially the thick bark 
of the latter — are employed. Placed endwise in 
grates, this rich resinous bark snaps and crackles, 
and quickly bursts into flame, throwing out an in- 
tense heat, and finely illuminating a room. But 
laid lengthwise and compactly, as unskilled Bridgets 
so often build fires in stoves, it sulks, sputters, 
shows a deal of obstinacy, and finally, unless given 
large doses of fresh oxygen, goes out altogether. 
When required to help cook it prefers the company 
of coke or coal, and will soon set the whole aglow, 
enabling the delayed servant to hasten her meal and 
save — her master's temper. In the vicinity of the 
Sound, fir-tree bark now sells at three dollars per cord. 

Cousin germain to the weather is the subject of 
fogs, and nowhere in the world can the vapory 
topic be more deserving of adjectives than in this 
valley. Indeed, to a Buckeye, from the lakeshore 
section of his State, where a geuuine fog makes its 
appearance barely once in a year, those to be seen on 
the Sound are something truly remarkable. I^et me 
cite, for instance, the one which at this moment has 
the freedom of the city — not presented, but taken. It 
is a dense, whitish-gray, luminous — for the sun is 
shining — vi.-itant, which stole in during the night, 



458 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

outwitting a frost, and giving the flowers longer 
lease of life. Most industriously has it worked. 
Gone are all the neighbor's dwellings, except one. 
The city is blotted out. Mountain, valley, and 
forest are obliterated. Out of doors, everywhere, 
absence is. On such mornings the people bestir 
themselves slowly and get to business tardily. In 
an hour or two the sun will triumph, and away will 
float the vapor. As it goes beautiful scenes may 
be witnessed. On the Sound, over the valley, among 
the distant forest-trees, it will rise up, take on multi- 
farious shapes, and will scud away before the growing 
breeze, whirling and tumbling like so many wild 
children of the air. The sides of some, the tops of 
others, the sun will tint with glory. Many will 
lengthen out into fleecy pennants, and wind here 
and there among the dark firs, as if they were 
snowy streamers borne by the "spirits of the wood," 
as the Germans would say. But the finest exhibi- 
tion will take place among the foot-hills lying oif 
eastward. Look now! Suddenly in a hundred 
places the fog rises up in foamy clouds, all radiant 
with the new sunlight. See how they wave, and 
vault, and dart, a company of aerial gymnasts, out 
on a mad frolic, no feat too difficult for them to 
perform. Now look! Quickly and forever they have 
left the scene. 

One more sketch, and we have done with this airy 
subject. On some clear morning, immediately after 



A RAINY SEASON. 



459 



the sun has cliinhed tlie Cascades, over the north side 
of Mount Tacoraa small bodies of snowy mist will 
begin to ascend from all over the country between 
the city and tiie mountains. At first they will os- 
cillate slowly, as if still tethered to the ground. 
Then gaining the more rarefied air, they will incline, 
roll over and over rapidly, and shoot oiF, some in 
this direction, others in that. The display usually 
lasts but a short time. 




XI<YII. 
T^ops ©ui^NiNG INTO Soil. 

A VISIT TO ONE OK THE HOP-KARIVIS OF" 
THE PUYALLUP. 



ON the Piiynlhi]) River, eighteen miles from Ta- 
coma, there lies a beautiful farm contaiuing 
about three hundred acres, something like seventy 
of which are planted with hops. Early in Decem- 
ber an opportunity was offered me to visit the place 
in company with the proprietor and his wife. The 
Northern Pacific Railway passes the premises within 
one mile of the dwelling; but, scorning such or- 
dinary means of locomotion, we made the jaunt in 
a double wagon, behind two rarely thoughtful and 
conscientious mules. They were thoughtful as to 
iiow they could avoid traveling off a moderate walk, 
and conscientious in sending the wheels to the 
bottom of every deep rut on the way. 

Residing in town, the family keep the house on 
the place open only during the season of cultivating 
and harvesting the hops. This period closes about 
the last of September. Since that time, this year, 
the abode has been in charge of two young men, 
who leave it about sunrise to attend to their labors, 
and return at nightfall, the proprietor paying but an 
4G0 



H0P8 TURNING INTO SOIL. 461 

occasional visit to the place to look after matters 
generally. It was therefore necessary for our comfort 
while there, to take with us an ample supply of pro- 
visions, some clean bed-clothing, and suitable table 
appointments. Accordingly soon after breakfast, on 
the day designated, began the work of collecting 
the articles required. Forth they came, from every 
room in the house, including garret and cellar. 
Altogether, they composed as varied an accumula- 
tion as ever gravitated together in one vehicle, 
unless we except in an emigrant wagon. 

By ten o'clock the cargo, omitting the human 
portion, had been wedged in, the provident hostess 
carefully superintending the proceedings. Stepping 
out then to take my seat with the others behind the 
dashing pair, I was not a little surprised by my 
friend turning to me and saying — her face wearing 
a look of extreme disdain : 

" I am not going to ride through this city in 
such a vehicle, behind these mules." 

"Pray, why not?" I exclaimed. 

" My pride is not to be cured with such reme- 
dies," or something equivalent to that, was the 
laconic reply. "You and I will walk out to the 
mill at the head of the bay, where, in the course 
of time, they will arrive, and we can get in." 

The "they" referred to, were her husband and 
their young son Harry, a lad of about thirteen years, 
who, carrying over his shoulder an old English 



462 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

shot-gun, felt amazingly soldier-like, however little 
be may have looked so. The purpose to be served 
by the ancient fowling-piece was the killing of blue- 
jays, that rapacious bird being the express object of 
every Washington farmer's ire. For his efforts to- 
ward exterminating the odious brood, th» youthful 
Nimrod was to receive five cents per capita, from 
his mother, who appreciates how a little encourage- 
ment helps to valiant doing. 

The '' mill," which was to become the rendezvous 
for the party, buzzed and whirred nearly a mile 
away, and the road thither led by no means through 
enchanting scenes. Nevertheless I acquiesced, and 
toward the spot we two directed our steps. Gain- 
ing the outskirts of the city, we threaded our way 
down a long hillside studded with prodigious 
stumps, and thence past the gas-works, a saw-mill 
or two, a furniture factory, and other such premises, 
reaching our meeting point long before our fellow- 
travelers, with their nimble team. Seeking the 
proprietor of the mill, we gave the interval to 
taking notes upon the flour industry of Western 
Washington, which we found to have a promising 
outlook for the future, though the amount manu- 
factured is less than that made in the Walla Walla 
Valley. The mill is a valuable one, and the owner, 
an intelligent Scotchman, evidently knows how to 
make good flour, and, also, how to make money. 

Taking our seats upon the arrival of the carriage, 



HOPS TURNING INTO SOIL. 463 

we were soon winding around the base of the lofty 
bluffs, which, on the right, define the fertile valley 
of the Puyallup. The first mile brought us to the 
"Agency" of the Puyallup Indian Reservation, 
under the superintendency of Mr. Edwin Eells, 
for fourteen years a representative of the govern- 
ment in the Indian service of the North-west. 
Practically, Mr. Eells has spent iiis life among 
the Red Men of Washington, his father, Rev. 
Gushing Eells, D. D., having been one of the ear- 
liest missionaries to the natives of the Pacific Coast. 
Though now a man far advanced in years, he is 
still faithfully at work among his beloved tribes 
east of the Cascades, ever practicing, it is said, tiie 
utmost frugality in personal expenses, that he may 
have the more to devote to their welfare. Rev. 
Myron Eells, a second son, is also a missionary to 
tribes resident near the Sound. 

At the Puyallup Agency are to be seen two 
small churches, one Catholic, the other Presbyterian, 
both of which are quite well attended by these wards 
of the government; a prosperous boarding-school 
for the training of their children ; a quaint cemetery, 
in which repose their dead; and the gardens and 
residences of the officers, and some other buildings, 
where, I believe, certain manual labors are taught. 
For five miles our route lay through the wonderfully 
productive acres of this reservation, than which 
the great Tcrritorv contains none iikm-c so. A ninn- 



HOPS TURNING INTO SOIL. 465 

ber of Indians cultivate small farms within tlie 
tract, and hold patents for them, but in most in- 
stances their system of farniino: would shock an 
Illinois husbandman. There are exceptions to the 
rule, but I have been told that, as a general thing, 
the Puget Sound tribes lack application, and years 
must pass before they will be found conducting an 
intelligent, vigorous, and remunerative system of 
tillage. 

Eleven miles from the city we entered the thriv- 
ing village of Puyallup, on the Northern Pacific 
Road. The place is a noted shipping point for 
hops — is, indeed, the center of the Puget Sound 
hop district, which extends from beyond the Skagit 
River on the north to the Cowlitz on the south, a 
distance of nearly two hundred miles. In Puyallup 
are to be seen the home and large hop-farm of Ezra 
Meeker, the commissioner of the Territory to the 
Exposition at New Orleans, in 1884-85, and the 
largest hop-grower ot the region, with the ex- 
ception of an organized company operating on the 
Snoqualmie River, with about three hundred acres 
in vines. Mr. Meeker devotes about one hundred 
and eighty acres to the industry. Of these, over one 
hundred are at Puyallup, and the remainder in the 
White River Valley, farther north. He began cul- 
tivating the bitter product in 1868, by putting three 
acres into vines. Of his fifteen kilns for curing 
the fruit, ten adorn this little village and vicinity, 



466 WASHINGTON TERIUTORY. 

several being in full view, as we trot through the 
inviting-looking town. Mr. Meeker is one of the 
progressive men of the Territory. Enterprises com- 
mitted to his supervision are sure to proceed. 

It is quite relevant to mention here, that among 
the Washington products exhibited by Mr. Meeker 
at New Orleans, was a splendid sample of beet- 




Hop-Kilns, Puyallup Yalley. 

sugar, of a thousand pounds weight. The article 
was manufactured from yellow beets grown in the 
White River Valley. They were immense in size, 
tender, juicy, remarkably free from woody fiber, 
and contained a large percentage of saccharine mat- 
ter. These qualities distinguish most vegetables 
raised in the Sound Basin, and are due to the moist 
climate, the exceeding fertility of the soil, and the 
absence of lime in the water. In this vicinity lime 



HOPS TURNING INTO SOIL. 467 

deposit never forms in the tea-kettles. Mr. Meeker's 
experiment with the beets was made simply to 
show what possibilities exist in that direction, this 
side the Cascade Mountains. The Territory not 
jiflbrding facilities for manufacturing the sugar, the 
vegetable was shipped to San Francisco for the 
purpose. 

The soil of the river valleys of the Sound is 
a rich, black, alluvial deposit, of a depth unascer- 
tained in some places, and is the product of ages of 
washings from the mountains, and the annual decay 
of an exceedingly luxuriant vegetation. It is as- 
serted that from twelve to fifteen feet below the 
present surface, on which stand trees whose age is 
marked by centuries, have, in several instances, 
been uncovered the stumps of giant trees, supposed 
to have been felled by a people long anterior to the 
Indians. Witli such ground to till, it is not at all 
surprising that Washington farmers anticipate a 
future of great prosperity. 

Some two miles beyond Puyallup lies Sumner, 
a three-year-old community, settled down in the 
midst of picturesque scenery, with a good school- 
house and pretty church among its pleasant features. 
Every thing around shows that the inhabitants are 
full of vim. 

Going onward, we passed a hop-farm occasionally, 
but the crop having been gathered, few of them 
looked trim and tidy. Hop-poles stood k'niiing in 



468 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

all directions, and at all sorts of angles, or lay pros- 
trate on the ground. Finally, the sun gone down, 
and the gloom of night gathering about us, we 
passed through a lofty gateway, and drew up beside 
a green terrace, on which stood our home for the 
next three days. 

The bachelor housekeepers had just returned 
from work on a country roadway, and not expecting 
company, were for a few moments at their wits' end. 
But when they discovered the tempting provisions 
we had brought, and perceived with what magic 
two women can convert a cold, dark house into a 
scene of cheer and comfort, they took heart, and 
appeared to be really glad we had come. "In less 
than no time" bright fires of thick fir-bark were 
glowing and snapping on three hearths, and on the 
kitchen -stove sang the tea-kettle, its strains far 
sweeter to hungry people than those of the Puyal- 
lup surging by, a few rods from the door. Soon 
all were seated at a bountiful board, and, however 
much it lacked silver, delicate china, and crystal, 
none around it lacked appetite, nor gratitude to 
Him from whose full hand came all the good. 

The meal over, the young husbandmen courte- 
ously offered to " wash the dishes," and the women 
as courteously let them, while themselves arrayed 
the beds, always reserved for the family's use, in 
fresh linen, well aired before one of the blazing 
fires. These things done, the household quieted 



HOPS TURNING INTO SOIL. 469 

down for an evening's enjoyment, tlie proprietor in 
the sitting-room talking over farm matters with 
" the boys/' and my friend and myself in a cozy 
apartment, chatting over Phebc Hanaford's " Daugh- 
ters of America," which I found on the mantel. 
Within it were sketches of the life and character 
of such women as Mrs. Eliza Garfield, Mrs. Lucre- 
tia R. Garfield, Mrs. Lucy W. Hayes, Mrs. Judge 
Thompson, first leader in the grand W. C. T. U. 
movement, and the well-known authoress, Sarah 
Knowles Bolton, besides many more who have 
acquitted themselves nobly in the different fields in 
which they have labored. Thus, in that tiny cot- 
tage, far out on this western verge of the continent, 
did we while away a long evening with our coun- 
try-women good and true. 

Next morning, as the sun peered above the 
bluff bounding the farm on the east, I stepped out- 
side the cottage to acquaint myself with the sur- 
roundings. How strangely primeval I How rank 
the vegetation! How humid the atmosphere! were 
ray first thoughts. A dense growth of fine grass 
carpeted the terrace as with velvet. "On the slender 
blades poised a thousand liquid globes, which threw 
back the sunlight as only dew-drops can. Pressing 
my foot down into the velvet, I quickly drew it 
back, wet and cold. Then, to add to the impression 
of humidity, came the deep notes of the river, hur- 
rying by on its way to the Sound. From close to 

40 



470 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

the house, in the rear, stretched acres of hop-vines, 
back nearly to the bluff. They fell in rich brown 
festoons from the top of long poles, and were laden 
with scaly fruitage. "How was that?" From all 
that mass of luxuriant vines not a single hop had 
been harvested. " Why not ?" Simply because at 
the picking season the prices offered for the product 
were, in the opinion of the owner, too depressed to 
pay for harvesting. Several thousand dollars had 
been put into the cultivation of the crop. The 
gathering and curing would cost several thousand 
more, and as he believed, would add nothing to his 
fortune. So here hung the rich browji pendants by 
the million — by the acre. Later in the season the 
whole will fall to the ground, and next Spring 
will be plowed under, making a fine fertilizer for 
the already affluent soil. On these same acres the 
crop sold last year for nearly fourteen thousand 
dollars. 

The average yield per acre in any of these ex- 
tremely fertile valleys is from eighteen to twenty 
thousand pounds. In specially favored districts it 
easily reaches one-third more, while on light or im- 
poverished lands it may drop to one thousand 
pounds. In some parts of the country considerable 
enthusiasm has been awakened in reference to hop- 
culture in Western Washington ; but an ill-advised 
step it would most likely prove for a man comfort- 
ably situated in the East to emigrate to the coast to 



HOPS TURNING INTO SOIL. 471 

engage in the pursuit. Land of the best grade in 
any of the hop-growing localities is held at a very 
high figure. It is an expensive crop to cultivate, 
and the region is too remote from the great hop- 
markets of the world. Some seasons find the mar- 
kets already overstocked, whereupon prices decline 
to a discouraging figure, and expenses are barely 
paid. It is not a rare thing, I learn, for growers 
to borrow money at a ruinous interest, and for a 
limited time, to secure their harvest. They are 
therefore forced to sell. The brokers always un- 
derstand, and are sure to take advantage of the cir- 
cumstances, by offering for the product a most 
beggarly sum. 

The owner of this rancho, who has devoted eight 
years to the industry, has had variable success. 
His first profit, from the five and a • half acres 
with which he began, was enormous, the whole 
yield having been marketed in New York, instead 
of London, at twenty-five cents per pound. One 
year, by the loss of the vessel on which it was 
shipped, his total harvest went down in the Strait 
of Juan de Fuca. What a wholesale mingling of 
tonics was that! From the infusion, every fish in 
the Pacific must have acquired strength to circum- 
navigate the globe. But even so effective a result 
afforded small consolation to the unfortunate loser. 
Another season, owing to depression of prices, he 
came out of the struggle with but one hundred and 



472 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

fifty dollars as a remuneration for his personal time 
and care. And now, here stands this crop, literally 
going into the ground. Nevertheless he has reaped 
from these seventy acres, since engaging in the indus- 
try, the comfortable sum of forty thousand dollars. 

It is believed by those who desire the best 
things for the Territory, that hop-growing will 
prove but an incidental occupation, in time giving 
place to fruit-farming. Of hops it may be said, as 
indeed of all other products raised here, There is 
always a crop. Generous mother earth never fails 
to respond munificently to the labors man bestows 
upon the soil. This field over which now droop 
these mammoth hops, has been sown to oats and 
other grains, annually, since 1853 ! Never has it 
been treated to a pound of fertilizer. Previous to 
that date the spot had been cultivated by the 
Indians since time unknown. Its yield of hops, 
per acre, last year, was two thousand pounds. 

For the work of hop-picking, Indians, chiefly, 
are employed. At the season, they flock into the 
hop-valleys by the thousand, coming from nearly 
every reservation in the Territory, from Vancouver 
Island, the main-land of British Columbia, the 
islands of the Gulf of Georgia, and from every 
ramification of Puget Sound. They perform the 
journey by every conceivable mode — on foot, on 
horseback, in canoes, in every kind of vehicle on 
wheels. Some tribes, coming from the north by 



HOPS TURNING INTO SOIL. 473 

water, make the journey in boats fashioned with 
great skill out of a section of the giant cedars 
of those latitudes. In these craft can easily be 
stowed away the family tent, the cooking utensils, 
and the entire household of persons — ill, aged, 
and able. 

By some tribes, parents and other relatives are 
borne to the hop-fields from long distances, that 
they may have the care which could not be insured 
them in the absence of the families to which they 
belong. Not long since, one of the race appeared 
on this farm accompanied by his mother, who was 
not only blind and aged, but really ill. Here the 
son provided for her as best he could, the hospitable 
family in the cottage supplementing his efforts for 
her by daily acts of kindness. At the close of the 
picking, the woman received one of the extra dollars 
it is customary to distribute to the workers as a sort 
of retainer for the next year. It is a question if 
many of the disabled ones are not brought to the 
fields more for this perquisite from the employers, 
than for tender attentions from relatives. 

Most hop-farmers appear to prefer Indian to 
Chinese help. Once at work, the Red Man is as 
reliable, nimble, and indefatigable as the Asiatic. 
And being a native product, prejudice against him 
is less strong than against the imported man. He 
is at his task by early daylight, and leaves it only 
when night hems him in. 



474 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

After breakfast I was invited to take a look at the 
sheep, simply to see how plump, clean, and healthy 
the Washington quadruped is, and how very thick, 
fine, and long is the coat of wool he carries upon his 
broad back. A sheep with a fleece spotted with 
burrs, twigs, bits of leaves, and twists of dry mud, 
would prove an exasperating sight to a Puget 
Sound stockman. He would certainly decline to 
eat the creature, served as mutton, lest the above 
earthly things had defiled him. 

I am here reminded that such a structure as a 
woolen-mill does not exist in Washington Territory. 
It is one of the crying wants of the Puget Sound 
district. Here is an opportunity for those who are 
crazy to go into hops, to better invest their capital. 

Up to date, absolutely no effort has been made 
in the Territory to raise the finer breeds of sheep, 
there having been no demand for the animal, 
beyond the use of its flesh as food, and of its wool 
for a few domestic purposes. The fleece of the na- 
tive variety, however, is remarkable for the length, 
strength, and fineness of its fiber. 

Off a little to one side of this cottage stands a 
capacious log house, utilized, now, in Summer, as a 
tenement for the hop-pickers. It was built many 
years ago, and long served as the residence of the 
proprietor of this valuable farm. It was known far 
and near, in that early day, as a sure asylum for the 
needy and unfortunate. Never were its doors closed 



HOPS TURNING INTO SOIL. 475 

to man, woman, or child, appealing for help. Hos- 
pitality unstinted made it a resort for all classes. 
Emigrants to Western Washington, having toiled 
across the plains and over the mountains, looked 
forward to this abode as the spot where all their 
troubles would take flight. Many a settler in the 
Puget Sound country can revert to the day when 
he received, in that dwelling, a cheering word, a 
night's lodging, a small loan of money, a supply of 
provisions, or help in some form, from its free- 
hearted owner — Mr. Van Ogle. 




XI<VIII. 

©HE Gl^BAT ©BI^I^ITOI^Y AMD ITS 
F{BS0LII^6ES. 



AT this point I am tempted to remind the reader 
of a remark which appears in the Preface, to 
the effect that this unpretending book is not, prop- 
erly, a work of travels, photographing in strict de- 
tail all the writer observed on the western verge 
of our domain, but is rather a series of carefully 
made sketches of the people, the country, and its 
manifold objects of interest. Most of the subjects 
treated are such as thoroughly aroused my own in- 
terest, and in their presentation the benefit of the 
reader has never for a moment been forgotten. 
Doubtless topics which would have edified the 
farmer, the manufacturer, the capitalist, and dealer 
in real estate have been omitted. Any disappoint- 
ment such parties may feel as they read these pages 
we shall more than regret ; at the same time, to our 
feast, such as it is, we cordially invite them. Com- 
pressed into this short chapter they will find a very 
general description of Washington Territory and 
its resources. It lacks particulars which some would 
be glad to see, but contains all the facts thousands 

have time to read. 
476 



ITS RESO URGES. 477 

Washington — name expressive of the thorough 
loyalty of the people — is a parcel of land embracing 
the mere trifle of G9,994 square miles. Only nine 
States the size of Massachusetts, it is claimed, can 
be laid upon it without crowding. Its greatest 
length from east to west is but the short distance 
of three hundred and sixty miles, while its average 
breadth is two hundred and forty miles. The small 
fraction of thirty-one hundred and fourteen square 
miles of its surface is covered with water. Of 
course, this includes Puget Sound, with all its bays 
and inlets. And somebody has figured that only 
twenty million acres are timbered land. Ten thou- 
sand acres are prairies and plains. One-half this 
amount is unrivaled bottom-land. How much is 
coarse, gravelly soil, unfit for the ordinary purposes 
of husbandry, but priceless for pleasure parks and 
drives, the mathematicians forget to state, but the 
amount is very considerable. One hundred and 
seventy-five thousand acres, reclaimable only by 
diking, lie near the mouths of rivers debouching 
into the Sound and the Pacific. 

Oregon and the "Great River of the West" 
bound the Territory on the south ; the forty-ninth 
parallel and a line running through the Strait of 
Juan de Fuca separate it from the queen's domain 
on the north; the Pacific hems it in on the west; 
while mountainous Idaho keeps guard over it toward 

the sunrise. 

41 



478 WASHINGTON TERRTTORY. 

The physical features of the Territory are re- 
markably varied. Several lofty mountain chains 
were ages ago heaved up on its surface. Between 
the coast and the Sound the Olympic range rears its 
heads. The Cascade chain extends through the en- 
tire Territory west of the middle. The south-eastern 
part is rendered picturesque by the Blue Mountains, 
while all across the northern part Nature has tum- 
bled together an endless miscellany of hills, cones, 
spurs, and ridges, interspersed with numberless 
sweet lakes and fertile vales. Between the Cascade 
and Olympic ranges lie the wonderful " timber- 
belt " and Puget Sound. In the former chain, not 
many miles apart, rise the majestic snow-cones, 
Adams, Tacoma, St. Helens, and Baker, all brilliant 
solitaires, glittering on the bosom of mother Earth. 
Finally, between Idaho and the Cascade Mountains, 
stretches an extensive plain containing nearly forty 
thousand square miles of the richest imaginable 
soil, and designated by the various terms, " Inland 
Empire," " Columbia Basin," " Bunch-grass Dis- 
trict," and the like. 

When first traversed by white men, this im- 
mense valley of the Columbia was supposed to be 
utterly worthless, except for grazing purposes, the 
bunch-grass — almost its only product — being a choice 
provender for stock. To-day, as has been previ- 
ously set forth, it is one of tiie celebrated wheat re- 
gions of the world, and a fruit district of great 



ITS RESOURCES. 479 

promise. The composition of its soil is peculiar. Its 
chief ingredients are ashes and scorire, which, the 
geologist being correct, were poured forth ages ago 
from immense fissures in the Cascade Mountains. 
From this range have occurred several wide-spread 
eruptions of lava, Mith long intervals of time inter- 
vening. One of them, an outburst of extraordinary 
extent and duration, is believed to have been the 
grandest overflow of the kind the earth has ever 
witnessed. It is estimated that the inundation cov- 
ered an area of two hundred thousand square miles 
of this part of the continent. The depth of the 
deposit formed reaches the astounding average of 
two thousand feet. This lava poured forth upon a 
subsoil of clay, which in turn rested upon a bed of 
basalt, now so far below the surface as to be visible 
only along the banks of the greater water-courses. 
This arrangement is plainly apparent in the tower- 
ing rocks on either hand, as one passes through the 
great gorge of the Columbia. 

The Northern Pacific Railway crosses this pro- 
lific plain nearly diagonally, maintaining a general 
south-westerly course after leaving Idaho, until it 
reaches Ainsworth, a small town twelve miles north 
of Wallulu Junction. Here its main line, known 
as the " Cascade Division " — two hundred and 
ninety-two miles long — branches off in a north- 
westerly direction through a remarkably rich por- 
tion of the Basin toward the Cascade Mountains, 



480 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

striking them at a practicable pass, about east of 
Tacoma, its western terminus, and, pending the 
completion of its tunnel through this chain, crosses 
it by the temporary arrangement of a switch-back 
road. The finishing of this division, practically, 
occurred in June last — 1887. The event was cele- 
brated in Tacoma, early in July, with splendid fes- 
tivities, amid unbounded rejoicing. Thus is as- 
sured, unless checked by some untimely calamity 
of nature, the rapid settlement and development 
of the entire Puget Sound region. It makes Ta- 
coma the outlet for not only the vast growth of 
cereals and other products of the Columbia Plain 
and Walla Walla Valley, naturally seeking a foreign 
market, but also for the great store of hops, coal, 
and lumber of its own opulent neighborhood. 
Through this port, also, must pass multiplied com- 
modities from China, Japan, and Corea, destined to 
our Atlantic cities. 

It is proper here to mention, that a line of rail- 
way, known as the "Bellingham Bay and British 
Columbia Eoad," is projected to be built from Ta- 
coma to the village of Whatcom, on the Belling- 
ham Bay. The road will traverse the district about 
twenty miles east of the Sound, and will bear the 
traveler to the lovely lake country lying imme- 
diately below the British line, and eventually, no 
doubt, onward to a junction with the Canadian 
Pacific Road. Of this genial northern part of 



ITS RESOURCES. 



481 



Washington we shall have something to say fur- 
tlier on. But to retrace our steps for an instant: 

FroraWal- _ 
lulu Junction, i 




Green River Scenery. 

over the Oregon Railway and Navigation Com- 
pany's line, to the south bank of the Columbia, at 
Dallas City, uiul thence on through niagiiilicciit 



482 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

scenery to Portland. From that point, as we have 
in a previous chapter described, it proceeds still 
further down the lordly river, to Kalama. There, 
turning northward, it traverses Cowlitz, Lewis, 
Thurston, and a corner of Pierce Counties — all dis- 
tinguished in some respect — to Tacoma. This north- 
ern section is known as the " Kalama Branch " of 
the great road. 

Lewis County, with an area of twenty-one hun- 
dred square miles, contains the largest amount of 
arable land west of the Cascade Pange, Among its 
population are many wealthy and intelligent fami- 
lies. A few miles from Chehalis, the county seat, 
is settled quite a colony of notable English people, 
with two or more parties of rank from Eastern 
Europe. They form an educated and enterprising 
community, possessing both the means and the pur- 
pose, to open up the country. In another locality 
are several persons from Michigan, who are driving 
affairs with hands, brains, and money. 

Of Thurston County mention has already been 
made, and it needs only to be added here, that in 
the quality of its fruits, cereals, butter, and vege- 
tables, not less than in the character of its men and 
women, it is surpassed by no other part of the 
Territory. In churches, schools, and connection 
with the outside world, by stage, steamer, railway, 
and telegraph, it ranks with the best counties of the 
Sound. " It manufactures, annuallv, millions of feet 



ITS RESOURCES. 48;] 

of lumber, and bciul.s iimneiisc rafts of logs to mills 
elsewhere on the Inland Sea." But the man who 
proposes, with little money and hut his own hands, 
to clear oif a farm among its heavily timbered lands, 
has a sturdy task before him, and has need of fath- 
omless energy and perseverance. And this would 
be true in any part of the vast timber-belt. Not- 
withstanding, numerous farms are improved every 
year, and the soil made to produce something besides 
trees of extraordinary size. 

Pierce C\)unty, one of the smallest subdivisions 
of the Territory — eighteen hundred square miles in 
extent — comes to the front in sources of industry. 
Among them are its coal-mines, of value unknown 
as yet; its quarries of lime and building stone, suf- 
ficient for all demands for a century to come; its 
acres of splendid timbered land; fine soil for hops, 
and large grazing area. In this county, between 
the AVhite and Pnyallup Rivers, lies the " Stuck 
Valley," renowned for the extraordinary fertility 
of its soil, a mixture of vegetable mold and alluvial 
deposit. The following list of products, raised in 
succession, without resort to fertilizers, from one 
acre of ground in this valley, I find in a "Com- 
pendium of Information " about the Territory, 
arranged by Allen C. Mason, of Tacoma, to whom 
1 am much indebted for the wox'k. "Six hundred 
bushels of potatoes, thirty-five hundred jt(»inuls of 
hops, ten tons of clover, thirty-five tons of sugar- 



484 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

making beets, one hundred and twenty-five bushels 
of oats, ninety bushels of barley, six crops of veg- 
etables. These are actual yields. After twenty 
years of successive crops, the land needs no fer- 
tilizing, is always mellow, and easily worked." 

The Stuck Valley is the bed of an ancient river. 
Ill an uncultivated state, it is mantled with growths 
of alder, rank grass, and vine-maple. From the 
abrupt hills on either side leap forth springs of ex- 
cellent water. A road now constructing between 
Tacoma and the heart of this valley, will reduce 
the distance thither to nine miles. 

So far as known, the coal-measures of Washing- 
ton lie between the Sound and the Cascade Range. 
** They extend from near the lower line of Thurston 
County, northward to Bellingham Bay, possibly to 
the British Possessions." Next to the lumber in- 
dustry, they promise to furnish, for some time to 
come, if amply worked, the leading pursuit of this 
tier of counties. The collieries of Pierce and King 
counties show the largest output at present. Those 
of the latter district produce lignites chiefly, which 
serve well for steam and domestic purposes. The 
Pierce County mineral, a clean bituminous in some 
localities, but in others mingled with lignite, ram- 
ilies a hilly country in opulent veins. 

Much of the coal now consumed on the Pacific 
Coast comes from Australia, and is very expensive. 
Particularly is this true in Southern California, 



ITS RESOURCES. 4«5 

where there prevails a scarcity of timber. The fuel 
is brought over by Engii.sli merchantmen, which 
reload with wheat from the San Gabriel and other 
southern valleys. Divers eflPorts have been made in 
that part of the State to utilize coal-oil for heating; 
and to accomplish it, the geniuses of the AVest and 
elsewhere have invented no end of contrivances — 
stoves, ranges, burners, furnaces — all " warranted to 
be safe and clean consumers." The governor of 
Washington estimates, that when the lower measures 
of the Territory shall have been reached, they will 
easily supply eighty per cent of this dearth in fuel. 
Let us now, for a moment, give attention to 
Yakima County, a regal subdivision of the mam- 
moth Territory, Its dimensions are one hundred 
and ten miles by seventy. The Yakima River, a 
royal tributary of the Columbia, pours through it 
from north-west to south-east. The valley it drains 
has an average radius of seventy-five miles, and 
extends from the Columbia to the Cascade Mount- 
ains. Topographically speaking, it is one grand 
succession of foot-hills, low ranges, plateaus, and 
valleys, unrivaled for fertility of soil. Clothed with 
sage-brush or nourishing bunch-grass, its table-lands 
have provided the choicest pasturage to herds for 
half a century past. In the heart of its hills and 
mountains are housed fortunes in minerals — gold, 
silver, iron, copper; while on their surface stand 
pine, fir, cedar, laiuarack, all princely in size and 



486 



WAsinxa TON teriutory. 



height. The temperate zone yields few vegetables 
or fruits, except peaches, that do not thrive in the 




niiiiu 
prodi 



I'lceut Yakima Valley. Wheat is an unfailing 
let. There are fields which have been known 



JT^ RESOURCES. 487 

to pnidnce thirty consecutive hanvests of this cereal, 
unaided by fertilizers, the last crop averaging fifty 
bushels to the acre. Up this valley, from Ainsworth 
to the Cascade IMoiiiitains, runs the new main division 
of the Northern Pacific Road, a costly highway 
traversing a sumptuous laud. 

The county includes the celebrated Yakima 
Indian Reservation, which embraces six hundred 
sections of the best land west of the Columbia 
River. Of this, three hundred thousand acres are 
beautiful meadow-land, sparkling with refreshing 
springs and water-courses. The occupants of this 
Reservation are distinguished for their advancement 
in education, religion, and the customs of civilized 
life. Of these Indians a shrewd trader once replied, 
on being asked if they would steal: ''No, sir. If 
all the white men of this vicinity were placed on 
one side this stream, and all the Indians on the 
other, I would leave my goods on the Indians' side." 
Fourteen tribes were parties to the " Treaty of 
Yakima," ratified in 1859. Some of these people 
reside sixty miles from the head-quarters of the 
Reservation. The population now numbers nearly 
four thousand persons. In 1880, those engaged in 
agriculture raised thirty-five thousand bushels of 
wheat, besides a very large amount of oats and corn. 
They were then the owners of seventeen thousand 
horses, and fifteen thousand head of cattle. In their 
timber tracts they cut nearly four hundred thousand 



488 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

feet of lumber. For the processes of husbandry they 
have plows, mowers, reapers, and wagons, and have 
under cultivation eight thousand acres of land. 
Numbers of them occupy comfortable houses, fitted 
up with stoves, tables, clocks, beds, mirrors, news- 
papers, the Bible, and much else that is useful. 
" They were once," to quote the language of the 
Rev. J. H. Wilbur, for twenty years their superin- 
tendent, friend, and adviser, " as low as Indians gen- 
erally become without going to the bottomless pit." 

Fortunately, Mr. Wilbur believed vigorously in 
the Bible and the plow. In his training of the 
Yakimas, they stood for faith and works. He em- 
ployed both with a will. In the steady advance of 
his proteges in civilization he to-day sees the result. 

Washington embraces fifteen Indian reservations, 
aggregating over six million acres. Largely, they 
comprise the finest grazing, timber, mineral, and 
arable portions of the Territory. Between thirty 
and forty thousand acres have been allotted to dif- 
ferent Indians, in severalty. The total Indian popu- 
lation of Washington is ten thousand two hundred 
persons. 

Turning our eye now to the remote north-west- 
ern corner of the Territory, we find Whatcom 
County, close under the forty-ninth parallel. Bel- 
lingham Bay — one of Vancouver's names — laves 
it on the west. On the east, eighty miles from this 
bay, bristle the Cascades. A balmy alniosphere 



/7'S- RESOURCES. 489 

from off the Kuro Sivo floats over it continually, 
softening the climate quite through the Winter. 
On its surface gleam several picturesque lakes, some 
day to be rendered still more attractive by Summer 
residences of the people. One of these bodies of 
water is Lake Whatcom, twelve miles long by one 
and a half mile^ wide, bordered with elegant tim- 
ber, in places four hundred feet deep, three hun- 
dred feet above sea-level, three miles from Belling- 
ham Bay. 

Whatcom County is less visited by cold fogs 
than are some portions of the Sound country. 
Large bodies of redeemable land adjoin the mouths 
of bays and rivers. Its forests are studded with 
stately firs and cedars, acres of which have never 
heard the sound of the woodman's ax. " Every 
thing man wants in the line of grains, fruits, and 
vegetables will thrive there." Fish of every scale 
and fin and flesh, nearly, visit its waters. Some 
one — smart in figures — has estimated that a popula- 
tion of one hundred thousand may easily find sub- 
sistence in Whatcom County alone. Can any reader 
then ask : "Whatcom(es) of a land like that ?" 

Let us not spurn Snohomish County on account 
of its name. One-half as large as the State of 
Connecticut, with a climate of whose mildness in 
Winter New England has no experience, and a soil 
as rich, certainly, in its cultivable parts as are the 
prairies of Illinois, it deserves well of us. Lying 



490 WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 

on the east side of the Sound, it extends back sixty 
or seventy miles to the Cascade Range. It can ex- 
hibit a surface of one and a half million acres, one- 
third mountainous, heavily timbered, and fertile in 
parts; one-third bottom-land, extremely productive; 
the remainder timbered partially, but not worth the 
clearing simply for purposes of agriculture, but for 
pasturing, excellent. 

" Logging " has been the chief occupation of 
the people for twenty-five years. For a long period 
the annual output has exceeded seventy-five million 
feet. Again, some one who knows how to calcu- 
late — as the writer does not — says : " On its surface 
to-day stand from five to ten billion feet of mer- 
chantable logs, board measure." Two streams, at- 
tractively named Snohomish and Stillaguamish, 
abundantly water the section. Along their valleys 
and those of their tributaries settlements are stead- 
ily forming. • ^ 

Between these let us put Skagit County, oppo- 
site the Strait of Juan de Fuca, admirably situated 
for commerce, abounding in iron ore, coal, and 
limestone, rich in farming resources, drained by 
the Skagit River — itself navigable eighty miles, 
and already occupied by a population five thousand 
strong. 

" On the first day of July, 1884," remarks Gov- 
ernor Squire, " Washington Territory was entirely 
out of debt, and had in her treasury forty-seven 



ITS RESOURCES. 



491 



thousand dollars. Her citizens number one hundred 
and seventy thousand." His excellency might have 
added: "And in tlie minds of her jK'0])le there ex- 
ists no insuperable objection to being admitted into 
the Union." 




XI<TX. 

Bi^iTisH Columbia. 

IN THE LITTLE ISLAND CITY, 



" T JERE we are, the land of the Britishers just 
i 1 ahead !" exclaimed an animated passenger, 
as our steamer swept up to the green coast of Van- 
couver Island yesterday morning. December being 
quite outside the excursion season, there was barely 
a score of passengers, all told. Therefore the cere- 
monies with the revenue officers were soon ended. It 
was a dismal day. A somber-gray sky arched the 
Sound, except in the south, where sailed the sun, 
framed in by sullen clouds. Far out to sea, as we 
crossed the Strait of Fuca, loomed up a high bank 
of wrathful blue. From the north-west a dense 
column of white sleet drove in, close to the island 
shore. Eastward lay my native land, its mountains 
sheeted with snow. Truly, Nature had arranged 
for me a most inhospitable introduction into British 
Columbia. 

The trip up Admiralty Inlet had been made in 
the night. Leaving Tacoma about nine in the 
evening, we called at Seattle and other points on 
the way, and soon after day-break breakfasted at 

Port Townsend, the American port of entry, a 

492 



IN THE LITTLE ISLAND CITY. 493 

pleasant little village s])rca(l on a hillside overlook- 
ing the Sound, and dependent chiefly, I should say, 
without knowing positively, upon fishing, lumbering, 
and the customs, for support. 

Thence a run of forty miles northward brought 
us to Vancouver, and then a short sail up James's 
Bay, to Victoria, with its heterogeneous population, 
and its background of distant, snow-capped hills. 
Proceeding directly to one of the leading hotels, 
■whose motherly-hearted landlady had been especially 
recommended to me by friends in the East, I 
there, happily, found the United States consul at 
Victoria, Major Robert J. Stevens, and his wife, 
-with whom I passed the evening most agreeably. 

Next morning, by kind invitation of Major 
Stevens, I paid a visit to the United States con- 
sulate, being in quest of maps of Vancouver Island, 
British Columbia, and the Canadian Pacific Railway. 
As I entered the principal room — reception-room, I 
shall call it — the place impressed me as being some- 
what of a curiosity-shop. The uncarpeted floor, 
spread with handsome skins of animals, represent- 
ing the main industry of British North America; 
the inviting lounge against the right wall, on which 
lay a square pillow of Japanese leather-work, em- 
bossed in gold, silver, scarlet, and other bright 
colors — a souvenir, I imagined, from a brother con- 
sul in the Sunrise Kingdom ; the plain desk and 

case of drawers for papers and documents; and, 

42 



494 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

above all, the pictures on the walls, made the spot 
one to be studied for a while, particularly if onie 
took interest in the faces which hung around him. 
The situation revealed two things, the taste of the 
consul, and the rigid economy of the government in 
the equipping its consulates. Upon my expressing 
surprise at the premises being restricted to two 
small rooms, I was informed that '' no United States 
consulate in the world occupies an entire building." 

It was a crisp, frosty morning. The newly built 
fire in the grate threw out a shower of fine coals 
all around upon the hearth. The young flames 
leaped and hopped about, as I have seen boys around 
a bunch of exploding fire-crackers on the Fourth of 
July. A poet would undoubtedly describe the low, 
rapid music they made, as a " fiery lay," and would 
associate with it some stirring sentiment concerning 
the " noble Red Man," but to my untutored ears it 
sounded very much like " Britannia Rules the 
Wave." Probably, though, since Major Stevens 
was in the act of entering the apartment, it was 
intended for " Hail to the Chief." One glance 
across the Canal de Haro, at the snow-mountains on 
our own main-land, was quite sufficient to make 
welcome both fire and furs. 

But the peculiar riches of the spot were massed 
in the adornments of the walls. Mostly, these were 
portraits and photographs of Major Stevens's per- 
sonal friends. Grouped in the silent company were 



IN THE LITTLE ISLAND CITY. 495 

men distinguislicd in divers walks of life. Some 
are living; others are dead. Prominent among 
the former was the face of Lord Lansdowne, the 
present governor-general of Canada, a man of 
varied knowledge, and of fine ability in an oratorical 
way. The gentleman had recently paid a visit to 
the Pacific Coast, and, while in Victoria, had been 
a guest at a commemorative entertainment given by 
some notable society of the city. Replying to a 
toast, one who heard him, said : " The marquis spoke 
eloquently and forcibly for an hour and a half, 
without preparation, upon a subject of great interest 
to the Canadian public at the time." 

Among those who have passed away, I recall 
the features of Professor Agassiz, of Professor Car- 
lisle P. Patterson, who won a name in connection 
with the Coast Survey Department, at Washington, 
and of Colonel E. D. Baker, who fell at the battle 
of Ball's BluiF, early in the war, and whose death 
the country mourned from shore to shore. The 
|)icture of the latter is an oil painting, and well 
preserves the features of a man greatly admired on 
the Pacific Coast. 

Colonel Baker was the father of four children, 
two sons and two daughters. The elder son, Alfred 
W. Baker, now resident of San Francisco, and both 
daughters, one of whom is Mrs. Stevens, are living. 
The younger son, for some time a quartermaster in 
the regular army, died at Fort Vancouver nearly five 



496 BRITISH COL UMBIA. 

years ago. The remaining daughter, a widow, I 
think, resides at Seattle. Mrs. Stevens is a lady of 
noble character and of great intelligence, who cher- 
ishes devoutly the memory of her father, as indeed 
do many of the old Californians who survive him. 

Some readers will remember that shortly before 
the war, in 1859 probably. Colonel Baker left the 
Gold State, of which he had for some years been a 
resident, and settled in Oregon. In 1860 he was, 
by the Legislature of that State, chosen its United 
States Senator. Barely had he taken his seat in 
Congress when began the direful attempt to rupture 
the Union. Forthwith his patriotism was pro- 
foundly stirred. Offering his services to the country, 
they were accepted, and early in the terrible strug- 
gle her soil received his blood. 

Major and Mrs. Stevens were married in Cali- 
fornia, and, proceeding to Washington not long 
thereafter, were residents of the capital for twenty 
years. Mr. Stevens claims Rhode Island as his na- 
tive State. From his youth the Government ap- 
pears to have kept him busy, for at twenty he was 
a consul in Spain. He reports having shouldered 
a musket in defense of law and order in the United 
States on six different occasions. One of these was 
during that brief and not very alarming revolt of 
the people of Rhode Island, with " Governor Dorr" 
at their head, in May, 1842. Being a Newport 
man, and an ardent believer in legally constituted 



IN THE LITTLE ISLAND CITY. 497 

authority, ]\Ir. Stevens marclied out, of course, under 
the banner of Samuel W. King, the lawful executive 
of the State, who, upon the organization of the State 
government at Newport, on May 3d, immediately 
proclaimed the spirited little commonwealth under 
martial law, and at once led the State militia against 
Mr. Dorr and his party, who, on that very 3d of 
May, were attempting to seize the reins of govern- 
ment at Providence. Sustained by the Government 
at Washington, Governor King soon succeeded in 
quelling the insurrection, and on the 18th of May 
order was permanently restored. 

In that brief uprising, fruitful years afterward, 
if not immediately, Mr. Dorr, who was a lawyer of 
education and talent, stood forth as the exponent of 
the principle that all the citizens of a State have a 
right to representation in the State Legislature. 
Governor King, on the other hand, represented the 
privileges of a caste of the wealthy and influential 
few, who only, in that day, had a voice in the elec- 
tion of the legislators. Those familiar with the 
history of the trouble, know that when it blew over 
Mr. Dorr was indicted for high treason, and a re- 
ward was offered for his apprehension. He fled, 
first to Connecticut then to New Hampshire, but 
finally returning to Rhode Island, he was arrested, 
tried, convicted, and sentenced to imprisonment for 
life. But in 1847 he received pardon, and was re- 
leased. Six years later his political disabilities were 



498 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

removed, and the man lived to see the people of his 
State enjoying the very immunity, to obtain which 
both he and they had once appealed to arras. 

Other opportunities for not very dangerous sol- 
diering were offered Mr. Stevens during his life in 
California, most likely during the reign of the re- 
nowned vigilance committees, when, in consequence 
of an aggravating series of crimes committed by the 
horde of desperadoes who invaded the coast soon 
after the gold discovery, certain citizens constituted 
themselves temporary executors of the laws, in the 
belief that safety to life and property was otherwise 
impossible; but not improbably during the Rebell- 
ion, when for a time California's apostasy to the 
Confederacy seemed an event almost certain to oc- 
cur. The "Army Register" states that "on March 
18, 1864, Robert J. Stevens was appointed from the 
District of Columbia a paymaster in the army, with 
the rank of major. This position he resigned May 
29, 1865." 

The duties of the consulate in Victoria were 
assumed early in 1884. Mr. Stevens has repre- 
sented the Government in the same capacity, also, 
at some point in South America. He was for some 
years superintendent of the United States Mint in 
San Francisco. The major is still hale and vigor- 
ous, and has a mind stored with a fund of informa- 
tion picked up on three or four continents. He 
retains all his old devotion to " law and order," and 



IN THE LITTLE ISLAND CITY. 499 

hesitates not to express his disapproval of the late 
anti-Chinese movement in Tacoma, In other words, 
"An imperium in imperio " does not strike him as being 
compatible with a republican form of government. 



And you have never been inside the "Hudson 
Bay Company's store" in Victoria? Well, it is 
now half-past nine. The sun has climbed above 
the Cascades, and is flooding the city with golden 
light, and we shall find a walk from the consulate 
down to Wharf Street, on which are the great store, 
the customs' buildings, and several large shipping- 
houses, a very pleasant one. There is nothing pre- 
tentious, you perceive, in the aspect of this mercantile 
house of the famous fur company, it being a low, 
spacious structure, built of brick, with a look of 
stability about it that comports well with the char- 
acter of the organization to which it belongs. It 
is a building, however, in which is retailed almost 
every article for which mortals have need in the way 
of clothing and materials. The shelves, floor, and 
counter present very much the appearance of one 
of the so-called co-operative stores that were so 
much "the mode" in small country towns in the 
East a very long time ago, when I was young. 

These stores were intended to meet every pos- 
sible want of the rural population, in the house, on 
the farm. Farmer brains conceived them. They 
were stocked by farmer purses. They exemplified 



500 BRITISH COL UMBIA. 

farmer economy. In short, through the co-operative 
store the tillers of the soil became grocers, hard- 
ware dealers, dry-goods merchants, and druggists 
even, and book-sellers, in a narrow way, and thereby 
became selfish to an enormous degree, forgetting 
that tradesmen of every honest class have a right 
to live. Fortunately, the plan proved not a particle 
more satisfactory than does co-operative housekeep- 
ing, and in a very few years that unique kind of 
merchandising became a failure of the past. 

The force of salesmen at the Hudson Bay Com- 
pany's establishment is small, else all have not yet 
come in from breakfast. Notice, that the lady clad 
in an elegant seal-skin cloak, inquires for nothing 
which the house can not furnish. Her purchases 
are chiefly small articles of men's apparel, but every 
thing seems to be of the quality she wants. The man 
serving her reminds one of the pictures of Father 
Time in the primer. He must have been " thrown 
in " with the charter granted to the powerful Com- 
pany, at its incorporation in 1670. 

One end of the building is devoted to the 
cheerful offices of Mr. Smyth, the chief factor of 
the Hudson Bay Company, and his assistants. Mr. 
Smyth has but recently arrived from the Mother 
Country, and is, perhaps, hardly at home in his new 
position as yet. The gentleman has this moment 
entered his apartment — a tiny room, with one win- 
dow overlooking James Bay. It is neatly furnished 



ly THE LITTLE ISLAND CITY. 501 

with a carpet, a chair or two, writing-tahle, and 
a case for books and papers. A genial fire glows 
in the small grate. Should the courteous manager 
of the store introduce us, we should find iiim 
extremely urbane, and very pleased to see us; but 
should we thoughtlessly request of him certain 







Arctic Exploration. 



items of information pertaining to the Hudson Bay 
Company, he would certainly refer us to the hook- 
stores, or to those depositories of general knowledge, 
the governor or the bishop ! 

For over two hundred years the apparent sole 
pursuit of the Hudson Bay Company has been 
trading in furs. But in fact, its lines of business, 
in addition to this, have been as multifarious and 



502 



BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



as useful as are the varieties of goods displayed in 
this Wliarf-Street store. Among its labors, directly 
and indirectly, may be mentioned farming, fruit- 
growing, stock-raising, school-teaching, preaching 
the gospel, writing history, bartering in all manner 
of commodities, endeavoring to civilize and Chris- 
tianize savage men, and aiding generously in the 
comparatively fruitless work of Arctic exploration. 
In the last line of eifort it has not only contributed 
large sums of money to other expeditions, but has, 
at its own expense, fitted out several vessels for the 
unpromising work. 

Taking the company's original vast possession, 
Prince Rupert's Land, with its later acquisition — 
the boundless "North-west Territories" — it has 
had a field for the exercise of its Avonderfully 
versatile talents, as wide as have its opportunities 
therefor been endless. 




In thb liiTTLB Island (qwy. 



THAT ancient thinker, Epictetus, once gave it as 
his opinion that the best way to elevate a city 
is not to raise the roofs of the houses, but to ele- 
vate the souls of the inhabitants. Now, had he 
only said, " Where the roofs of the houses are 
found to be low, the souls of the inhabitants are 
sure to be elevated," we should be able to determine 
exactly the moral status of the people of Victoria, 
since at least five-tenths of their dwellings are but 
one story in height. But whatever may be the 
condition of their souls, their bodies have a surpris- 
ing altitude. Never since the flood have there been 
so many tall people in one small city. Two stories 
in height are scores of them. The aged men, es- 
pecially, look to me as if they had grown upward 
all their lives. 

And what fine color every body has ! Men, 
women, and children are abloom with health. Ripe 
cherries scarcely rival the hue of their checks. If 
health and strength and length of days are wealth — 
and who disputes it? — then is Victoria a Croesus in 
this respect among the coast cities. In the United 

States consulate an hour ago I was shown the 

503 



504 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

photograph of a citizen, recently deceased, whose ca- 
reer closed at the ripe age of one hundred and four- 
teen. Is it the tonic air, a clear conscience, a sound 
ancestry, or all these combined, which so preserves 
this people? 

From the early years of the century down to 
about 1843 all supplies for the Hudson Bay Com- 
pany's posts, then dotting this vast North-west, were 
conveyed in boats up the Columbia River to Fort 
Vancouver, the general depot for distribution. 
Thence, by means of pack-horses principally, they 
were borne into the heart of the country. But at 
the above date, owing to the agitation arising from 
the settlement of the famous " Oregon Treaty " 
question, an auxiliary supply point was established 
on this island, near the head of the inlet now called 
James's Bay. Around this depot was erected a de- 
fense, which was named " Fort Victoria." That 
was the beginning of this staid, punctilious, pros- 
perous, and, when you get at it, warm-hearted city. 

Victoria is lighted by electricity. Chiefly, the 
streets are straight, level, and intersect each other 
at right angles. The cross-ways are ridges of fine 
gravel, instead of rows of flagging, and are muddy 
when it rains. In the suburbs are numerous tasteful 
residences, b'uilt in the modern, composite style, 
with either tidy lawns, croquet-grounds, tennis- 
courts, or flower-gardens in the rear. Along the 
coast, Victoria is known for its pleasant suburban 



IN THE LITTLE ISLAND CITY. 505 

drives, its command of stately scenery on the Ameri- 
can shore, and as a center of influence for the Hud- 
son Bay Company. 

For table supplies the city depends, to a great 
extent, upon the farmers of Washington Territory, 
agricultural activity in British Columbia being a 
condition of things yet to exist, even in districts 
where husbandry may be easily conducted. And 
" farming on the Island of Vancouver," says a citi- 
zen, " is far from the top in the list of occupations." 
The landlady at the hotel informs me that from our 
own main-land come, in large part, the poultry, fresh 
fruits, vegetables, and canned goods found in the 
markets of Victoria. On many such products, as 
well as on a long catalogue of manufactured arti- 
cles, these people pay tribute to the United States. 
Also, in the stores and shops are to be seen wares 
in endless variety almost, on which they pay duty 
to the Mother Country. In short, most of the com- 
modities pertaining to daily living, enter the island 
burdened with an impost. Hence the great expense 
of housekeeping, of which I have heard so much 
the past few hours. 

There are several hotels in the city, at which 
the charges vary, according to the accommodations 
and the style observed. The leading ones are the 
Oriental and the Driar. The cuisine of the latter, 
if no other feature, secures it a reputation among 
Americans; though, in fact, there is little to choose 



506 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

between them in that respect. The Oriental is re- 
puted for its home-like atmosphere and attentions. 
I remember that when ascending the Columbia, 
last July, travelers on the steamer from New Haven, 
Connecticut, urged my testing it, as they had done, 
and were pleased — as I am. At the better board- 
ing-houses a compensation of one and a half and 
two dollars per day is expected of transient guests. 
But for the visitor who desires to live frugally, and 
who may remain some time, the more sensible course 
is to engage a pleasant room in some private home, 
and make such arrangement for meals elsewhere as 
will suit both appetite and bank account. The plan 
enables the golden eagles to hold out longer, and 
releases one from tables not to his taste. 

On our own main-land the notion prevails that 
in Victoria may be purchased certain lines of goods, 
such as gloves, furs, jewelry, fine laces, and excellent 
British hosiery, at lower prices than in the United 
States. This is a mistake, which a single hour 
passed in the shops and stores will correct. An 
English woman tells me, that in London she can 
buy costly American furs at better advantage than 
in this city, the western head-quarters of the Hud- 
son Bay Company. 

Another misapprehension which has effect among 
our people is, that American coin is not received at 
full value in British Columbia. All our denomina- 
tions, in silver and in gold, circulate as freely as at 



JN THE LITTLE ISLAND CITY. 507 

home. Even the trade-dollar we so much despise 
is readily taken . I was informed this morning, by 
a gentleman constantly liandling money, that of the 
mass of gold coin stored in the vaults of banks in 
Victoria, by far the greater amount is in American 
five, ten, and twenty dollar gold-pieces. Upon in- 
quiring the prices of groceries and merchandise any- 
where in the town, they are immediately given in 
denominations of the United States. 

Another error prevalent on our part of the con- 
tinent is, the supposition that the circulating medium 
of the British Provinces, in North America, is the 
same as that of Great Britain. The Canadian Do- 
minion has its own system of money, and every- 
where within its limits English currency is a foreign 
circulation. 

Daily communication is maintained, by steamer, 
between Victoria and the various towns of Wash- 
ington Territory lying on the Sound. Chief among 
them are Seattle and Tacoma, both doing their 
utmost to rival the other. Omitting Port Towns- 
end, the remaining communities are outgrowths of 
the fishing industry or the lumber-trade. Thus in- 
termingle, constantly, our border people and these 
British cousins. 

The steamers plying are the property of that 
well-known organization in Portland, "The Oregon 
Railway and Navigation Company." One of them, 
a spacious and elegantly appointed boat, was built 



508 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

on the Atlantic Coast, and ranks with the finest 
steamers on our inland lakes. It is officered by gen- 
tlemen. The table is always excellent. With the 
Sound Basin settling at the present rapid rate, more 
than one such floating palace will soon be in demand 
upon its splendid water-ways, since few pleasures 
can surpass that of sailing to and fro amid scenery 
at once so beautiful and so sublime. 

Victoria has a population of about thirteen 
thousand, exclusive of Chinese and Indians. Of 
the latter there are said to be nearly five hundred in 
the city, with a large representation in other parts 
of the island. The Indian women I have met on 
the street, have to an extent adopted their white 
sisters' style of dress, always eschewing the drapery, 
however. The faces of most of them exhibit un- 
usual intelligence, but they wear a look of stoicism 
which debars attempts to speak to them. 

The method of governing the Indians of British 
Columbia, adopted by its executive, and, in an 
earlier day, by the Hudson Bay Company, has 
always differed mnterially from that practiced by 
the United States in its dealing with the native 
races. From all I can learn, it has been a system 
of undeviating firmness, justice, and kindness, a 
course at once calculated to win the respect and true 
fealty of the tribes. Sir James Douglas, the first 
governor of the Province, and a firm believer in 
these principles, is alwavs mentioned as never 



IN THE LITTLE ISLAND CITY. 509 

swerving from them in liis relations with the Red 
Men, and as being remarkably snccessful in con- 
trolling the most perverse among them, never fail- 
ing to secure their allegiance. His " policy " com- 
prehended neither trifling with them, nor exhibition 
of weakness on his part, nor violation of their 
rights. His successors most wisely followed his ex- 
ample. The consequence has ever been, that tiie 
Indians of British Columbia have possessed a whole- 
some esteem for the terras, law and government. 
They convey to him ideas of power and authority, 
two things for which most Indians have some 
respect. Consequently, when a statute of the Prov- 
ince lays its hand upon a guilty native, he realizes 
that he is in the grasp of something mightier than 
himself, and that escape is an imi)ossibility. He 
does not care to repeatedly feel its weight. 

Instead, therefore, of being an expensive and 
most unprofitable element of the population, causing 
the coming up every now and then before the Do- 
minion Parliament of irrational propositions to board 
and clothe whole tribes for a term of years, the 
Indians of British Columbia have become not only 
large producers in the Province, but also " generous 
consumers of articles which swell the customs reve- 
nue." This is the effect of having been steadily 
held to certain lines of labor and conduct. In the 
coal-mines, saw-mills, logging-camps, and fisheries 
of the Province are employed large numbers of 



610 BRITISH COULMBIA. 

young men of the tribes. To them are paid an- 
nually immense sums for their labor. To these 
occupations multitudes add hop-picking, at the sea- 
son. Some of them make journeys by water of 
one and two hundred miles for the purpose, spend- 
ing a couple of weeks on the way. Large delega- 
tions may be seen in the fields of the White, Green, 
and Puyallup rivers. 

A friend in Tacoma, speaking recently of these 
northern Indians, said that, upon visiting their tents 
one Sunday morning during the hop-season on their 
own farm, she found one of the women making her 
toilet for the day with comb, brush, and mirror as 
nice as any lady needs, while near by stood a " Sara- 
toga trunk" containing her clothing. A comfor- 
table mattress formed her bed. Throughout the 
tent cleanliness and order reigned. 

An entertaining volume, instead of a few para- 
graphs, might be written upon the Indian tribes of 
British Columbia. Several distinct languages, and 
numerous dialects are spoken by them. On the 
Queen Charlotte Islands, speaking a tongue differ- 
ent from that of any other tribe, dwell the Haidahs, 
a people especially worthy of notice. Also, along 
the ocean coast of Vancouver Island live interest- 
ing tribes, much engaged in catching the fur-seal. 
Adroit at the pursuit, they are invaluable to the fur 
companies. 



gUBEN UlGTOI^IA'S flMBI^IGAN DOMAIN. 



THE " Dominion of Canada " comprises the fol- 
lowing ten provinces, named in their order — 
with a single exception — from the Pacific Coast 
eastward: British Columbia, Alberta, Assiiiiboia, 
Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova 
Scotia, Prince Edward's Island, and "The North- 
west Territories," an immense region of country 
stretching northward, from several of the western 
provinces, to the Arctic Ocean, and forming the 
exception mentioned. Cape Breton Island is at- 
tached to Nova Scotia — the Acadian Land and early 
home of Evangeline. To the Province of British 
Columbia belongs the Island of Vancouver, and, 
also, the Queen Charlotte Islands, with the city of 
Victoria for the capital. 

Like the United States, the Dominion of Canada 
extends from ocean to ocean, and is a territory about 
equal to the whole of Europe. From its extreme 
western, to its most eastern limit, is a distance sev- 
eral hundred miles greater than from Liverpool to 
Montreal, and that is a stretch of three thousand and 
fifty-three miles. From Dalhousie Square Station, 

in Montreal, the present eastern term in us of the 

511 



512 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

Canadian Pacific Railway, to Port Moody, at its 
western end, is two tliousand eight hundred and 
ninety-five miles, making the route from Liverpool 
to the Pacific sea-board, five thousand nine hundred 
and forty-eight miles, a distance eight hundred and 
forty-one miles shorter than from Liverpool to San 
Francisco, by the Union and Central Pacific Roads. 

As every school-boy knows, the law-making cen- 
ter of tlie Dominion is Ottawa, in the Province of 
Ontario. Like Washington, our own civil capital, 
it is situated near the Atlantic verge of the pro- 
digious territory over which it legislates. 

The British possessions in North America em- 
brace an area of timbered and arable land estimated 
at two million square miles. Of this immense ex- 
panse " about seventy thousand square miles only, 
or, an extent but six square miles larger than 
Washington Territory, are devoted to practical in- 
dustries, and of even this fraction, only about one- 
half is under fine improvement. The tremendous 
remainder is virtually soil unbroken. But, of this, 
it is estimated that at least one-half is splendidly 
adapted to wheat. Conceive, now, of an estate one 
million square miles in extent. Add together 
Merry England, Old Scotia, Green Erin, and Bible- 
loving Wales, and multiply the sum by eight, and 
still you have not enough to equal it. 

Again: The entire Canadian Dominion is more 
than thirty-two times larger thnn Groat Britain, 



T 'IC TORI A 'S A MERICA N D OMA IN. 5 1 3 

and contains not more than five millions of people! 
The Mother Country bears on her bosom nearly 
forty millions! Canada, then, has room for more 
than thirty-two times all Great Britain's toiling 
poor, allowing a small homestead for every family. 
London alone has a population equal to that of all 
Canada! What a golden opportunity the vast 
Dominion offers the Knights of Labor and all labor 
leagues to transport to, and locate upon, these rich 
acres, thousands of Britain's needy children. Aided 
until well established on soil of their own, they 
would certainly be in a position to dispense with 
the services of their doubtful friend, Mr. Strikes; 
for when have the farmers of any land been known 
to combine by many thousands, to leave their fields, 
and refuse to raise another bushel of wheat, corn, 
or oats, until the heavy grain-dealers advanced the 
prices to their demand? 

Upon the agricultural lands contiguous to the 
Canadian Pacific Railway might settle, the next 
twenty years, a half million of people. " Yes, but 
the Winters are Arctic," you say. So, too, are the 
Summers too warm in Florida; but those who have 
interests there manage to endure them. 

Let us uow glance at some of the western prov- 
inces of the Dominion, beginning with Manitoba, 
those farther east being better known. Here we 
have a district one hundred and twenty-three thou- 
sand square miles in extent, and generously watered 



514 BRITISH COLUMBIA, 

by lakes and rivers. The city of Winnepeg, four 
hundred miles north-west of Lake Superior, is its 
metropolis, and the central city of the Canadian 
Dominion. Its population is in the neighborhood 
of thirty thousand. The fiftieth line of latitude 
runs some miles north of the city, and directly, I 
think, through Land's End, England. Therefore, 
Winnepeg is farther south than any town of the 
British Isles. But, situated midway between the 
great oceans, its atmosphere softened by the warm 
stream of neither, it is robbed of the perpetual 
Spring climate of Land's End. Snow falls to the 
depth of five and six feet, and comes for a long 
sojourn. Situated at the junction of the Red and 
Assiniboine Rivers, Winnepeg is the door to the 
boundless country beyond, known even there, as the 
" vast North-west." The city occupies the site of 
old Fort Garry, renowned, early in the century, as 
the center of aifairs for the Hudson Bay Company 
within this immense territory. 

The Red River, nearly six hundred miles in 
length, having watered, bountifully. North-eastern 
Dakota, and, by its tributaries, North-western Min- 
nesota, drains ten thousand square miles of Man- 
itoba; while the Assiniboine, restricting its blessings 
mostly to Canadian soil, refreshes not less than 
sixty thousand square miles of country, much the 
larger part of which is extremely productive. This 
water-course penetrates the broad Saskatchewan 



VICTORIA'S AMERICAN DOMAIN. 515 

land, stretching far to tlie nortli, and west of Lakes 
Winuepeg and Manitoba. There, too, in the midst 
of deeper snows, and, if possible, an object of deeper 
interest, flows the lordly Saskatchewan, draining an 
enormous area, and affording fifteen hundred miles 
of free navigation. It has two princely branches, 
both of which leap out of the heart of mountains, 
rough and bold. 

From a point sixty miles east of the city of 
Winnepeg to the base of the Rocky Mountains, a 
distance of over a thousand miles, the Canadian 
Pacific Railway traverses almost continuous prairie, 
varying in breadth, according to Sir Alexander 
Gait, from four hundred to six hundred miles. 
Arranged in three successive steppes, all of great 
width from east to west, it is probably the largest 
continuous wheat section of the continent. These 
steppes have respectively an altitude above sea-level 
of eight hundred, sixteen hundred, and thirty-two 
hundred feet. Already there have sprung up on these 
expanses numerous nuclei for towns, several of 
which, on the line of the great railway, are notable 
in their way. Contiguous to Indian Head, for in- 
stance, is the celebrated Bell Farm, fifty thousand 
acres in extent, and the property of the Qu' Appelle 
Valley Farming Company. Its cultivation for 
wheat began in 1882. Thousands of its acres are 
now annually sown with that cereal, and all the 
operations are conducted on a generous scale. The 



516 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

details of the enterprise, like those of all great un- 
dertakings, are most interesting. 

Another point worthy of mention is Regina, 
three hundred and fifty miles west of Winnepeg, 
and the capital of Assiniboia. Away from it 
stretches the wide " Plain of Regina," one of the 
leargest wheat-tracts of the three vast meadows. 
Here are located the Indian and other bureaus of 
the Province, and the residence of the lieutenant- 
governor. The place is the head-quarters, also, of 
that semi-military body known as the " North-west- 
ern Mounted Police," a corps of men whose special 
duty it is to "maintain law and order over a region 
extending westward from the border of Manitoba 
seven hundred and fifty miles, and northward from 
the United States two hundred and fifty miles." 
The men are selected for their bravery, fidelity, and 
powers of endurance. They are armed with a sword, 
carbine, pistols, and cartridge belt. Their uniform 
includes a scarlet jacket, the peculiar insignia of 
their service. In age they range from twenty-two 
to forty years. Every candidate for a position on 
the force must be sound in mind, body, and char- 
acter, and must enlist for five years. The service 
involves great privation and personal danger, and 
not infrequently requires the utmost exertion of 
their powers. Notwithstanding, the life has its fas- 
cinations. Numbers of the men have continued in 
the service for years. Their horses are fleet, saga- 



VICTORIA'S AMERICAN DOMAIN. 517 

cious, as reliable, and as capable of endurance as 
their riders. Points of rendezvous for the orgaqi- 
tation are scattered all over the broad region. 

Just a line now with regard to Stephen, near the 
summit of the Rocky Mountains, and five thousand 
three hundred feet above the sea. Stephen marks 
the highest altitude attained by the Canadian Pacific 
in its course across the continent, and is in the 
Province of British Columbia. It also denotes the 
dividing line of the streams, some of which flow 
eastward to the great meadows, others westward to 
the mighty ocean. 

A!J over the wide mesa of which I have spoken, 
the thermometer registers a low temperature in 
Winter. But over the greater part of it the air is 
extremely dry and produces none of the searching 
chilliness felt during the rainy season in Western 
Washington. But the rigor is fur more dangerous. 
To be exposed for any length of time, not well pro- 
tected, is fatal to one. A gentleman recently re- 
turned from several years' sojourn in the distant 
Saskatchewan land, says, that for weeks each Winter 
the cold was so intense as to preclude venturing far 
from one's door unless doubly clad, if riding, and 
in brisk motion if on foot. Another feature of life 
in those latitudes is the feeling of loneliness, in- 
duced by the boundless distance and the intermina- 
ble expanse of snow surroCinding a person. An 

intelligent Englishman engaged in business on the 

44 



518 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

upper waters of the Fraser River, east of the Coast 
Range of Mountains, was heard to say not long ago : 

"Every Autumn I bring my wife and children 
down to Victoria for the Winter. No consideration 
could induce me to retain them in a region so deso- 
late and inhospitable. So overwhelming, before 
Spring, becomes the feeling of loneliness, that I fear 
some of us would lose our reason. For a few weeks 
we do not mind it. But as the season advances, 
the days becoming shorter and the nights longer, a 
painful silence pervades the interminable field of 
snow around us, and a dull leaden sky stretches 
above our heads, rendering cheerfulness impossible. 
Then we are ready to make any sacrifice to get 
away. We barely survived one Winter, and shall 
never try another." 

These were genuine experiences, and yet but one 
side of the story. Every latitude presents hin- 
drances to human happiness. Every clime, too, 
offers some prime advantage, some chief delight. 
Of this truth the plains of Saskatchewan afford a 
beautiful illustration at the approach of Spring. 
The gentleman previously quoted, states that he has 
seen snow five feet in depth disappear as if by 
maffic, and lo! the sjround beneath would be car- 
peted with thick, green grass or grain. In these 
North lands, then, Winter does not linger a month 
or six weeks in the lap of Spring, but promptly 
spreads his wings and is gone. Still, many would 



I 'TO TOR [A \S A ME RICA N D OMA IN. 519 

not choose to tuko tlie miicli bitter for the sake of 
tlie littk> sweet. 

From Stephen travelers descciul the everkisting 
hills, speed across British Columbia, and make their 
exit at Port Moody, on Burrard Inlet, the distance 
being five hundred and oiio miles. To this won- 
derfully diversified and picturesque Province let us 
now give a passing glance, using information care- 
fully collected from several sources. Should the 
reader have before him a good map of this member 
of the Canadian Confederation, he will see that no 
part of the Pacific Slope excels it in the variety 
and grandeur of its physical features. Lofty mount- 
ains, deep lakes, dense forests, or lonely plains, in- 
vite attention to every p:irt. It contains a half 
score of splendid lakes, remarkable for the dispro- 
portion between their length and breadth. A no- 
table cluster lies far up in the north-western corner. 
Another galaxy gems the south-eastern section. 
The latter are really but rivers expanded in places 
to miles in breadth. 

Twice on its way down to the ocean, the Cana- 
dian Pacific Railway crosses the Columbia River, 
which makes an enormous detour in the eastern part 
of the Province, with the Selkirk Mountains piled 
high upon the tongue of land around which it flows. 
And not long before the locomotive encounters the 
Cascade Mountains — the Coast Range of British 
Columbia — it is confronted by the Fraser River, a 



520 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

powerful, impetuous stream, rendered particularly 
famous by the discovery of gold on its upper waters 
in 1858. The Fraser rises in a high latitude of 
the Province, where its branches are spread out like 
those of a great banyan-tree. Finally, united into 
one strong trunk, their waters push southward to 
near the border of the United States, where, bend- 
ing suddenly to the west, they make for the sea. 

When reports of the gold discovery on the Fra- 
ser reached California, where the excitement of '49 
had considerably abated, there turned immediately 
from that State toward this less hospitable land, a 
great tide of miners,' in hot haste for the precious 
metal. Perils and hardships crowded the way, and 
in the dismal race many a man lost his life, " a 
mere handful of the whole reaching the diggings and 
securing fortunes." Some wisely stopped short in 
the journey, accepted other occupations, prospered 
at them, and to-day are influential citizens of the 
Fraser River country. 

British Columbia is pre-eminently the gold-bear- 
ing province of the Dominion, a fact which affords 
a striking illustration of the Creator's kindly pro- 
vision for the needs of man. See! Within a few 
hours' travel westwnrd from the great wheat-steppes 
lies a domain richly stored with the means for 
bringing the grain from the soil. Thus can the 
Canadians make one hand wash the other, as the Ger- 
mans say. Gold-land and bread-land lie side by side. 



VICTORIA'S AMERICAN DOMAIN. 521 

Three widely separated localities comprise the 
sections, at present prospected and worked to any 
extent. Throngh one of the most prolific of these, 
the Kootenay Gold-field, the Canadian Railway 
passes. It is partly American, partly British ter- 
ritory. In its development both English and Ameri- 
can capitalists are interested. The Canadian portion, 
shaped like an immense triangle, is bounded by the 
Rocky Mountains on the east, the forty-ninth parallel 
on the south, and the Columbia on the west. The 
Kootenay River tumbles and boils throngh the dis- 
trict from north to south, making a majesic sweep into 
Washington Territory, and thence, returning to the 
Dominion, pours through Lake Kootenay, and later 
swells the waters of the Columbia a little north of 
our boundary line. All in all, South-eastern British 
Columbia is a remarkable land. Superb mountains, 
impetuous streams, and deep lakes, full of trout, are 
some of its charms. Nor are the gentler features 
of nature lacking. There are picturesque scenes by 
the score, besides areas for pasturage and acres for 
cultivation. 

The first gold found in Kootenay was by the 
British Boundary Commission, in 1862. For some 
years past the mines have yielded well, and give no 
indications of failure. A sturdy German returned 
after a prolonged sojourn in the district, says of it: 
"In the mountains plenty of gold. In the men 
there, plenty of love for it, with much badness, and 



522 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

luck not for every body." No doubt that is a fair 
statement of the facts in the case. 

Shall we now turn our eye toward the extreme 
north-western corner of the Province? Up in the 
very realm of the frost-king we find another trian- 
gular area of immense extent, celebrated for its 
auriferous deposit. Twenty-five years ago prospect- 
ing for gold was conducted therein by two hardy 
and experienced miners, with such success that, soon 
after, they were re-enforced by a large number of 
men. "There was scarcely a bar in its rivers which 
did not yield an industrious man from fifteen to 
twenty dollars per day." This gold-land is Omi- 
ueca — " Mountain Whortleberry." Its altitude is 
considerably lower than surrounding parts of the 
Province, to which circumstance is attributed its 
longer working season, or the holding off a little of 
the terrors of Winter. 

These opposite localities are rivals as to scenic 
features. Three lofty mountain chains inclose Omi- 
neca as with a loop. Within this loop spring the 
sources of the great Peace River, a lordly tributary 
of the Mackenzie. Hence, Omineca is said to lie 
on the head-waters of the Peace River. Rolling 
due eastward about two hundred miles, the stream 
pierces the Rocky Mountains, flows on to and 
through Great Slave Lake, and, uniting with the 
Mackenzie, journeys with it to the Polar Sea. The 
"Finlay Branch of Peace River," as it is called, 



VICTORIA'S AMERICAN DOMAIN. 



523 



forms the boundary line of Briti.sli Columbia, iu 
latitude 56° north. Omineca embraces prodigious 




The V/ilds of Omineca. 
forests, which abound in game, as do its rivers in fish. 
It is distant from Victoria nine hundred miles. 
East of the Fraser River, about midway between 



624 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

Kootenay and Omineca, we shall enter the third 
famous gold district of British Columbia. Less 
rugged and desolate than the latter, it is yet known 
among mining men as "the wilds of Caribou." 
For the last quarter of a century the term has been 
almost synonymous with gold, all over the West. 
As early as 1858 certain miners from the " Fraser 
River Diggings " penetrated the locality, and about 
the mouths of creeks and rivers emptying into Car- 
ibou Lake, found . fortunes of the precious metal. 
Three years later fifteen hundred miners were in the 
vicinity, scattered along the streams, whose banks 
and bars promised the speediest rewards. Their 
aggregate findings for that season footed up to two 
million dollars. It was estimated that ten thousand 
persons left Victoria the next year, 1862, for this 
Ophir of the Pacific. One-half the number, fright- 
ened by the lions in the way, relinquished their pur- 
pose, and never set eyes on the Northern Eldorado. 
The braver five thousand brought away three mill- 
ion dollars as the reward o^ their valor. 

As in California, inestimable benefits have fol- 
lowed this mad rush to Caribou for gold. Along 
that splendid water-course, the Fraser River, many 
fine farms and comfortable homes exist as out- 
growths of the movement. The whole history of 
mining on the Pacific Coast shows, thai no sooner 
have remarkably rich deposits been discovered, than 
immediate steps have been taken to secure reliable 



VICTORIA'S AMERICAN DOMAIS. 



525 



conirauiiication between the localities and the 
sources of supply, for the miners. And thus came, 
ill grin I part, the enduring roads, the stable bridges, 
and even the railways, now so indispensable. Indi- 




0^ 

A Road to the Mines. 
viduals, corporations, and State authorities, have all 
borne a part in constructing such p:issage-ways. A 
succeeding step was the founding of churches, 
schools, libraries, hospitals, and asylums. And to 

one who reflects how recently society began to form 

45 



526 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

on our western border, the number of these institu- 
tions is simply bewildering. 

In British Columbia is to be seen a remarkable 
specimen of engineering in the form of a roadway, 
which is the " direct outgrowth of gold discovery 
on the upper waters of the Fraser, and in the wilds 
of Caribou." In two sections, and one hundred 
and fifteen miles in length, this road extends up the 
bank of the Fraser from Yale, the head of steam 
navigation, to the town of Lillooet. It was built by 
the English government, and when constructed, is 
said to have been the most notable work of the 
kind on the coast. Long sections were made along 
the face of the steep, rocky cliffs, where, it had been 
supposed, not even the dextrous mule could travel 
with safety. In these places a bed for the road 
was obtained "by blasting away the face of the 
cliffs for miles." 

No other coast in the world, it has been said, 
except that of Norway, is so deeply and frequently 
indented by arms of the sea, as is British Columbia. 
Indeed, it is not only richly fringed with tongues 
of land, but is magnificently bordered by valuable 
islands. Some one has ascertained that its -coast 
line, including that of the deep recesses, and of the 
numerous islands, measures upwards of seven thou- 
sand statute miles. Altogether, the Province is a 
ceaseless wonder-land, everywhere full of interest. 
Its area is three hundred and fifty thousand squart 



VICTOIiLVS AMERICAN DOMAIN. 



527 



miles. In 1882, seventy thousand was the estimated 
popukition. Previous to 1866, the Island of Van- 
couver and the Province, were known as the Colonies 
of Vancouver and New Georgia, names affixed to 
them by Captain Vancouver. They were, in that 
year, incorporated in one Province by royal edict. 
The Gulf of Georgia separates the island from the 
main-land. 

A daily line of steamers connects Port Moody 
with Victoria, whence transcontinental passengers, 
bound to the ocean, make their exit, via the Strait 
of Juan de Fuca. As yet Port Moody is a town 
in the act of taking root; but like Tacoma, at the 
head of Puget Sound, and San Francisco, at the 
Golden Gate, it holds a superlative position for 
commerce. 




I<IL 

©HE FjETLti^K Down the Sound. 



AT one o'clock yesterday afternoon I stepped on 
board the elegant steamer Olympian, in Vic- 
toria, on my return to the city, wherein there are 
no Chinese. I had taken but a hasty view of the 
Queen's land, yet that glimpse had in a general way 
comprehended the whole, had given me outline 
views, which I hoped to fill in with details of the 
provinces at a later day. 

There remained a half-hour before the boat 
Would turn her prow southward. I utilized this 
time by studying the pleasant city, James Bay, and 
the shipping in the harbor, from the windows of her 
fealon. My attention was soon attracted by a small 
steamer, wedged in between two imperial-looking 
craft, but a few rods above us. 

" That little steamer — the second one you see," 

said a fine-looking Englishman, standing near, and 

who proved to be the captain of a merchantman 

which had recently discharged, at Tacoma, a large 

cargo of tea brought direct from Japan, " is the first 

boat that ever turned a wheel in the Pacific. She 

is called The Beaver, and was built in London. She 

left that port for Fort Vancouver, on the Columbia 
528 



THE RETURN DOWN THE SOUND. "j29 

River, in 1838^ aud lias been in constant service 
ever since. She was a craft of prodigious strength. 
There is scarcely a sunken rock in all this vast sys- 
tem of inland waters, which she has not found, not 
because she sought them but because she struck 
them. She is now engaged in the north-coast trade, 
and will last for years, yet. At the next dock 
above, lies The Otter, an equally notable steamer. 
She is the second boat that ever turned a wheel in 
this ocean, and is still young and strong, though 
both herself and The Beaver are nearly fifty years 
old. Both were built in the most thorough manner 
and of the best quality of English oak." 

While looking oiF upon the city, I w^as reminded 
that the Island of Vancouver, is nearly three hun- 
dred miles long, with an average width of fifty 
miles, and an area estimated at twelve thousand five 
hundred square miles. Much of its surface is barren 
aud mountainous. But the lower hills are clothed 
with a dense grass of whicii the domestic animals 
are said to be very fond. The arable land, and 
the principal settlements, of which Victoria is the 
largest, are on the eastern and southern shores. 
The Pacific side is occupied chiefly by Indians, of 
-whom there are some twelve tribes, or a " total of 
about seven thousand persons." Catching the fur- 
seal is their leading pursuit, the men spending most 
of their time in their canoes. The Abt tribe forms 
a notable exception as to occupation and has a wide 



530 



BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



reputation for doing skillful work in gold, silver, 
wood, bone, and stone. Their manufactures out of 
these materials, bring high prices, and no little 
revenue, to the island. 

Vancouver exports furs, fish, lumber, and coal. 
The richest coal-seam lies on flae inner shore, and 




The Fur-Seal. 
extends from just north of Victoria, where there is 
a valuable vein, to near latitude fifty-one degrees. 
The center of the coal-mining is the town of Nan- 
aimo, a thriving place with a fine harbor, some 
sixty-five miles north-west of Victoria. "This," 
said a Victorian, with whom I talked on ihe sub- 
ject, " is the only true coal-bed on the Pacific Coast," 



THE RETURN DOWN THE HOUND. 531 

a remark which the owners of mines in Washing- 
ton, woukl probably receive at a discount. The 
largest market for the Nauairao fuel, is San Fran- 
cisco. Twenty-two thousand tons wore shipped to 
that port last year. 

From my position on the steamer I could well 
observe the passengers, as they came on board 
through the ware-house, and being naturally inter- 
ested in the meetings and partings of people, I 
noticed them particularly. Usually under such cir- 
cumstances, persons are what they seem, and in a 
moment the observer advances a long way toward 
knowinir them. The Pacific Coast is distinctively 
a land where parting benedictions are heard. More 
than once in my journeyings upon it — I say it grate- 
fiillv— has the short sentence, "God bless you!" 
been spoken for my cheering, upon bidding some 
noble woman good-bye. I hear their voices now, 
and ever shall. 

Making their way, now, through a medley of 
trunks, boxes, draymen, and revenue officers, on the 
wharf, comes a party of young people, three ladies 
and a gentleman, who evidently enjoy life; for all 
bear themselves in the free, unburdened manner 
which so surely indicates little experience of care 
and trouble. But the remarkable thing about them 
is, that all are the children and grandchildren of 
former chief factors of the Hudson Bay Company. 
And all are cousins, yet represent four different 



532 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

families, being the children of four sisters. Let us 
see how tliis came about. 

Many years ago a man, whose name was John 
Werk, found himself in the wilds of British North 
America," holding two very responsible positions. 
First, he was the chief factor of the Hudson Bay 
Company ; second he was the father of six daugh- 
ters. As these maidens arrived at womanhood they 
evinced a marked preference for their father's offi- 
cial position, since four of tham married superin- 
tendents of the great fur company. These men were 
Dr. William Tolmie, Roderick Finlayson, James 
Graham, now resident in London, and the father of 
the young man now accompanying the young ladies 
to the steamer, who, with his family now lives near 
Fort Nesqually in Washington Territory. Fort 
Nesqually was the first work for defense against the 
Indians, erected west of Vancouver. It is still in 
existence, I think, but no longer serves as a military 
station. 

Dr. Tolmie, a prince among Scotchmen for noble 
qualities, occupies a pleasant country home, some 
three or four miles out from Victoria, and has con- 
siderably exceeded the allotted years of human life. 
He is noted for his hospitality and for his accurate 
knowledge of the North-west in an early day. He 
has attached friends in all parts of the Sound 
country. 

The three young ladies have walked down to the 



THE RETURN DOWN THE SOUND'. 533 

landing, simply to see tlieir cousin from Nesqnally 
on board ship. At the last moment, while the dceU- 
hands wait, ropes in hand, to draw in the plank, they 
will pass ashore. 

But what means this lively co-nversation behi-nd 
me? Turning, I soon read the story. While I had 
been taking mental photographs of The Beaver, and 
of the picturesque points on shore, a {)arty of two 
ladies and several gentlemen liad entered the salon. 
One of the latter pEoved to be Mr. Edgar C. Baker, 
member of the Canadian Parliament from British 
Columbia. The younger lady was his wife; the 
elderly one her mother. She had been summoned 
rather suddenly to Portland by the illness of a near 
relative. These friends had very kindly attended 
her to the steamer to brighten her departure by in- 
troducing her to the gentlemanly captain, and by 
saying a whole chapter of pleasant things at the 
last. And, certainly, in these grateful ministries, 
the " member from Victoria " excelled every other 
son-in-law extant. So repeatedly did he charge the 
lady to "take good care of herself," to "not fall 
ill," to "not worry," etc., that one of the party, a 
gentleman of magisterial bearing, who had been 
pacing back and forth through the long salon, 
stopped and exclaimed, while evidently delighted 
with all he had heard : 

"That's right. Baker, keep on the right side 
of your mother-in-law," 



534 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

This brought forth a merry peal of laughter from 
the whole group, none joining in it more heartily 
than the mother-in-law herself. But at last came 
the leave-taking, when all shook hands with the 
lady, and fairly buried her under good wishes, 
as the son and daughter kissed her, and said: 
"Good-bye." 

Then she was alone. Three minutes passed, per- 
haps. The last notes of the steamer's bell were 
pealing through the air. Suddenly there was a 
sound of one running from forward, and in flew 
Mr. Baker, saying, in breathless haste — the captain 
following: 

"Mother, here's the captain. He'll wait upon 
you down to dinner. At Tacoma he will place you 
on the train for Portland. As soon as the steamer 
gets outside, the purser will come up and give you 
a nice room. Now, good-bye. Don't get sick. 
Good-bye." 

He shook her hand. He was gone. The cap- 
tain said the proper things, and was gone. 

Then, looking around a moment upon the pas- 
sengers, the lady left her seat, crossed the room, 
and, taking a chair beside me, asked: 

"Madam, are you going to Portland?" 

"Yes, madam, but not immediately." 

Then we fell into conversation, and, after a 
little, I congratulated her on having so noble a son- 
in-law. 



THE RETURN DOWN THE SOUND. 535 

"Son-in-law!" she exclaimed ; "that is no name 
for him. Never was a son more kind ,to an own 
mother. There is no service he would not render 
me. That gentleman is the member of Parliament 
from Victoria." 

This was said with evident pride. I did not 
blame her. I could appreciate how grateful to her 
was every loving act from tliis man. Next morn- 
insT, at five o'clock, I wished the excellent woman 
a pleasant journey to the beautiful city on the Wil- 
lamette, while the captain waited to escort her to 
the cars close by. 

Moral of the story : every American son-in-law 
should emulate, in one respect, at least, this peerless 
A^ic'torian. 

It was half-past one o'clock when the wheels of 
the Olympian began to turn. Slowly she drew off 
from the wharf, turned, and floated down the nar- 
row inlet into the magnificent strait, and laid her 
course for Port Townsend. The sun shone brightly. 
There was a golden radiance in the atmosphere, but 
the air was stinging cold. 

Now, reader, step to the windows. We are more 
than midway across the strait of Juan de Fuca — 
here forty miles wide, as we have elsewhere said. 
Turn your eyes to the main-land. What a sight ! 
As far northward as one can see — and that seema 
to be to the very heart of the realm of the frost- 
king, so charji^cd with cold is the distant atmos- 



536 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 

pliere — and as far to the southward, stand up the 
snow summits, glistening, and s})arkling, and shim- 
mering, as if mantled with gems. How stately, 
how regal, yet how cold, and solemn, and still, they 
look ! It is an awe-inspiring, unearthly, fascinating 
scene. One gazes, and wonders, unable to take his 
eyes off it, until too weary to stand longer. Never 
can it pass from our memory. We are glad it has 
been our privilege to see it. 

Those summits are those of the Cascade Mount- 
ains, a range wonderful from beginning to end, and 
at every season of the year, but superlatively so in 
Winter. For awhile Mount Baker, because the 
nearer, and towering in princely grandeur above all 
the others, fastens our attention ; but before we 
enter Port Townsend, Mount Tacoma comes into 
view, lifting her queenly head thousands of feet 
higher. In a couple of hours Mount Baker is be- 
hind us. Looking back upon it, the magnificent 
elevation takes on the appearance of a giant lying 
on his back, asleep, with arms crossed under his 
head for a pillow, the face being turned a little to 
the East. The limbs are stretched out full length. 
The toes are turned up in the air. From head to 
feet the tall figure is wrapped in a sheet of spotless 
snow. The resemblance is very striking. The De- 
cember days are very short. Already has the sun 
fallen behind the Olympic Range on the west of us. 
Not a cloud flecks the whole heavens. One-half 



Tlir: RETURN DOWN THE SOUND. 



537 



the great dome is brilliant gold. The Strait of Juaa 
de Fuca is a vast mass of wavy gold. Now all the 
cones of the Cascade Rauge are glorified. Now 
language fails. 




I<III. 

©HE SWITZBI^LAND OP flMEI^IGA. 



FROM Victoria, British Columbia, to Roseburg, 
in Southern Oregon, is a step of about five 
hundred miles. Since writing the last chapter I 
have taken this step, and now invite the reader into 
the "Valley of the Umpqua," one of the most di- 
versified and beautiful portions of the Pacific Slope, 
and a famous section of the great North-western 
State. It will be remembered that, in planning our 
journeying, Washington Territory was to intervene 
between Northern and Southern Oregon. We have 
taken the liberty to introduce the Cauadiun Do- 
minion also, feeling well assured our British friends 
will not object. It is in further pursuance of our 
arrangement that we come at the close of Winter 
into this most picturesque region for some months' 
sojourn. 

Unless defined, the term "Southern Oregon" 
will be quite misleading. As used on this part of 
the coast, the words embrace simply the five coun- 
ties lying in the south-western corner of the com- 
monwealth. The charming district is bounded on 
the east by the Cascade Mountains, on the south by 

the Siskiyou Range, which separates it from Cali- 

538 



THE SWITZERLAND OF AMERICA. 539 

fornia, on the west by the sea, on the north by the 
rugged Calapooia Chain, which bars it from the 
cultivated Valley of the Willamette. 

The estimated area of the region is twelve thou- 
sand square miles. Its coast-line extends northward 
from the California border nearly one hundred and 
fifty miles, and includes one of the safest and most 
commodious harbors between San Francisco and the 
Strait of Juan de Fuca. This admirable haven is 
Coos Bay. Its waters admit ocean ships of heaviest 
draft, while its tributary creeks and rivers drain a 
large surface of the surrounding country. The prin- 
cipal exports from the port are coal, lumber, and 
salmon, all abundant in the vicinity. 

Southern Oregon is ramified in all directions by 
lines of high hills, or ranges of mountains, with ex- 
tremely fertile valleys intervening, and well deserves 
to be called the "Switzerland of America." The 
true Switzerland is to the writer a terra incognita; 
but if, in the sublimity of its mountain scenery, 
the charms of its climate and the loveliness of its 
gentler landscapes, it surpasses those of Southern 
Oregon, then does it richly merit all the praise and 
admiration which poets and travelers have lavished 
upon it. 

Special paragraphs must be devoted to the 
streams. Tumbling creeks and other affluents of 
the two main rivers we have named, distribute bless- 
ings on every hand. During the rainy season, now 



540 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

at its height, these are vastly augmented in speed 
and vohime. As our train came spinning down the 
southern side of the Calapooias, yesterday, on the 
way from Portland, a multitude of noisy tributaries 
of the crooked Umpqua foamed and rushed down 
the gorges on either side. The rain fell in no sloth- 
ful fashion, and not at all trivial did the tiny tor- 
rents find the task of bearing it away. 

Mainly, the Umpqua is a turbulent mountain 
stream. Its principal, or " north fork," has its origin 
in the Cascades, or, definitely, in Diamond Lake. 
Flowing westwardly a distance of eighty miles, it 
receives the South Umpqua, nearly one hundred 
miles from the sea. Thence turning to the north- 
west, it enters the ocean one hundred and seventy 
miles south of the mouth of the Columbia, draining, 
in its journey, something like four thousand square 
miles of territory. In places, the Umpqua acquires 
a great depth, and where it flows between high, 
precipitous banks, presents some imposing scenery. 
At other points its breadth increases to many feet, 
with small areas of farming and grazing land stretch- 
ing back from its brink. 

But it is the Rogue River which transcends all 
other streams in Southern Oregon, both in physical 
features and historical dignity. It is to Jackson 
what the Umpqua is to Douglas County, enriching 
and gracing, by its many swift branches, three thou- 
sand square miles of lovely country. Four mountain 



THE SWITZERLAND OF AMERICA. 541 

chains— the Coast, Canon, Cascade, and Siskiyou— 
"inclose the Rogue River Valley as with bulwarks 
of massive rock." The total surface thus fortified 
"is broken into hills, valleys, and mountain ridges, 
all the valleys trending toward the central depres- 
sion, and all the minor water-courses toward the 
Rogue River." On the Cascade side, the wall of 
rock rises, at some points, to nine thousand feet. 

Full of power, the Rogue River springs into 
being near the foot of Mount Thielsen, one of the 
tremendous snow-cones of the Cascades, at an eleva- 
tion six thousand feet above the sea. Within the 
limits of Jackson County the torrent makes a de- 
scent of five thousand feet, having a precipitous 
caiion for its pathway, until the lofty mountains 
dwindle into mere hills in the valley proper, which 
is only about forty miles long by twenty miles wide. 
Thus both the Umpqna and the Rogue River leap 
out of the heart of the Cascades, "almost within a 
stone's-throw of each other," but diverge as they 
flow, until they enter the Pacific, ninety miles asun- 
der, both plowing a deep gorge through the Coast 
Range on their way. 

Heavy forests cover a large part of Southern 
Oregon, and form one of its chief sources of reve- 
nue. All the principal mountain sides are studded 
with trees, which wei-e hoary when first the voice 
of white man eclioid among its daik canons. Here 

and there only, on the streams, a saw-mill sends 

46 



542 



SOUTHERN OREGON. 



out Its stimulating music, where many ought to be. 
Some exact soul has said, that "in Douglas County — 




A S^ene in the Umpqua Valley. 

tiie largest of the five — there are thirty town.sliips 
densely mantled with pine, fir, yew, and cedar trees, 
of immense size and height, and all convertible into 



Til K SWITZERLAND OF AMERICA. 543 

the finest grades of lumber." This section includes 
the western slope of the Cascades, itself crowded 
w ith stately tiiowths from the line of eternal snow 
down to the border of perpetual green. The sugar- 
pine and the yew make choice finishing woods, and 
for durability the latter is the peer of the red cedar. 

Sections of the Coast Range also furnish woods 
of great value. There the white cedar flourishes, 
and the whole family of firs. The bays and maples 
thrive together with charming effect. In short, in 
this New Switzerland, the supply of desirable tim- 
ber seems to be inexhaustible. The mar\-el is, that 
the earth can anywhere nourish such a countless 
brood of prodigious trees. 

"Has Southern Oregon no mineral resources ex- 
cept coal?" Ah, we are coming to that. She has 
as rich treasures beneath the soil as above it. To 
coal we may add gold, silver, tellurium, quicksilver, 
marble, and several others. In all these counties 
gold exists, and in each more or less mining for the 
metal has been done, with the usual results prob- 
ably, as to individual fortunes, but forming a vast 
total, which has passed into the arts, or swelled the 
circulating medium of the country. The pursuit 
began in 1851, and is still conducted on a generous 
scale. In certain localities operations have lan- 
guished. At some ])oints they have ceased alto- 
gether, and even " the roads to the mines have fallen 
into ruin." 



544 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

In Curry County, near the moutli of Rogue 
River, the sands of the sea-shore have yielded gold 
in remunerative quantities for over thirty years. 
The distance of shore enriched is about twenty-five 
miles, I believe. Ever since its discovery, the spot 
has been known as " the gold beach." Old Ocean 
sometimes amuses himself by spreading a covering 
of worthless sand over the precious deposit. But 
the trick avails but for a brief time. Man soon 
outwits him and is soon harvesting the treasure 
again. In Douglas County there are at least three 
centers of quicksilver mining, where considerable 
interest is taken in the work. Iron, copper, and 
nickel are stored away in the mountains, but the 
deposits have been little developed. On the other 
hand, a degree of success has been reached in min- 
ing tellurium. Coal-measures of vast extent, and 
almost unmolested as yet, underlie the surface, in 
the neigborhood of Coos Bay, and elsewhere. At 
the bay several parties are heavily engaged in min- 
ing the fuel, its chief market being San Francisco. 

Southern Oregon needs, and some day will pos- 
sess, a railway which shall traverse the region from 
Coos Bay eastward to, and through, the Cascade 
Mountains, at a practicable pass almost due east 
from Roseburg. Thence it will stretch across the 
wide plains of South-eastern Oregon to a point con- 
necting with one of the transcontinental lines. This 
would set a hundred saw-mills to buzzing in these 



THE S WITZER T, A XD F A ME R fCA . 545 

miles of now silent timber, and start a thousand 
new picks to ringing in the coal-mines, besides con- 
verting Coos Bay and its environs into a Summer 
resort for scores of people. In that event, Rosebiirg, 
the little town in v.hich I write, would have the 
advantage of being about half way between the pass 
and the Port. 

The Oregon and California Railway, a most 
important line, now passes through Southern Ore- 
gon. Its termini are Portland and Ashland, at the 
base of the Siskiyou Mountains. Its length is three 
hundred and forty-two miles. A controlling spirit 
in the construction of a part of this road, and for 
some time the president of its board of directors, 
was Mr. Ben Holladay, a man famous throughout 
the country, years ago, on account of his frontier 
enterprises in the way of stage and pony expresses. 
Mr. Holladay appeared in Oregon in 1868, and for 
eight years pushed forward this great internal im- 
provement. He was then at the height of his 
phenomenal career. In the Centennial year he sur- 
rendered control of the road, the line being then com- 
pleted from Portland to Roseburg — one hundred and 
ninety-seven miles. The remainder, one hundred 
and forty-five miles, reached its finis, May 5, 1884, 
partly under the presidency of ITenry Villard, the 
representative of the German bondholders of the 
road, and the successor of Mr. Holladay. 

Besides this line, tlio Oregon and Califoinia 



546 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

Company operates a track, ninety-six miles long, 
connecting Portland with Corvallis, on the west side 
of the Wlliamette River, thus binding together a 
number of thriving towns, and touching the varied 
products of the rich Valley of the Willamette. The 
former line bisects Southern Oregon about midway 
between the Coast and Cascade Ranges, becoming 
the common carrier for the fruits and grains of its 
myriad interlacing valleys, and conveying the trav- 
eler through some two hundred miles of superb 
scenery. Seen at any time of the year, the re- 
gion is almost unrivaled for both grandeur and 
beauty. 

Roseburg, with the exception of Jacksonville, the 
oldest and most interesting town in Southern Oregon, 
is situated in a tiny valley, begirt on all sides with 
lofty hills, some of which sweep np into the air six 
or seven hundred feet. Overhead appears a frac- 
tion of blue sky, but nowhere is there an outlook to 
the distant horizon. Although but the middle of 
February, the elevations are carpeted with thick, 
fresh grass, making them a very Eden for grazing 
stock. Here and there they part asunder, opening 
doors to other fair valleys, so that one may wander 
on, and on, the scenery ever taking on new charms. 
Climb to the top of one of the highest, as did the 
writer the other day, and instead of a broad outlook 
to distant points, you will find the earth heaved up 
into cones and ridges for miles around you. Lit- 



THE SWITZERLAND OF AMERICA. 547 

erally, the country stands on end. Through a rift 
in the hills westward, you can discern the blue out- 
lines of tlie Coast Range, forty miles away, perhaps. 
At my feet lay Roseburg. From my eyrie I could 
look down upon nearly every abode in the place. 
My companion during the walk, Mrs. Colonel 
Shields, of Terre Haute, Indiana, pointed out to me 
the homes of several notable men, living, or fallen 
asleep, whom the place has furnished to the State 
and the country. 

Roseburg takes its name from Aaron Rose, the 
original owner of the pretty valley. The man is 
still living, hale, and surprisingly young looking for 
a person past threescore and ten. His residence 
occupies an elevated plateau on the southern verge 
of the town, where he can keep an eye upon the 
whole community. Sun, dew, and rain fall freely 
all around him, and his neighbors are conveniently 
remote. Calling upon him soon after my arrival in 
the village, I learned that in September, 1851, he 
first saw this gem among the Douglas County vales. 
He had just accomplished the long overland journey 
from the splendid Wolverine State. On the way 
he had traversed dreary plains, forded dangerous 
streams, toiled over rugged mountains, and eluded 
watchful Indians, — all, that he might make for him- 
self and his family a home in a climate more benef- 
icent than that of storm-swept Michignn. The 
nioniciit his foot toiidicd tliis lii II -niidcd spot, it 



548 



SOUTHERN OREGON. 



seemed, of all places he had seen, the best adapted 
to Roses. So here he pitched his tent for life. 

The valley of the Umpqua was then the home 
of the Indian tribe of that name, and all about him 
dwelt its members ; but he settled down among them, 

and with them main- 
tained friendly rela- 
tions until they were 
removed to their reser- 
vation, after the bloody 
Indian wars in this 
region. " The Ump- 
quas," said Mr. Rose, 
" were far from being 
a noble type of the In- 
dian race. They were 
really in a state of 
savagery, living upon 
roots, seeds, fruits, or 
other supplies fur- 
nished them by the 
hand of nature. They 
made little exertion 
toward self-support." 
Accepting the offer of Congress, Mr. Rose "took 
up a claim" on this site, erected a shelter for his 
family and turned his attention to farming with all 
the thoroughness of the Michigan husbandman. 
Now, so prolific is the soil of Southern Oregon 




Nut Store-Houses of the Indians. 



THE SWITZERLAND OF AMERICA. 549 

that mere half-efforts at tillage seciiro lavish returns 
to the farmer. And what is the result? Simply 
this: Unless a man labors intelligently, and from 
principle, he soon lapses into slothfulness, and in 
time, like the Indian, actually becomes incapacitated 
for work. Toil of a certain amount is a potent fac- 
tor in civilizing the human race, and that amount 
is by no means homeopathic. More could hardly 
have been expected of the Indian tribes of this re- 
gion than that they should scorn systematic labor. 
Given: Communities of white men, settled upon 
land highly productive, like that of the Umpqua 
and Rogue River Valleys, its streams filled with 
fish, and its forests with game ; then isolate them, 
for long years, from railways, and telegraphs, and 
competing markets ; afford them but slight contact 
with a stirring world outside ; and, finally, let the 
climate be continually hospitable — and how long 
would such communities drive and thrive? Noth- 
ing but the being thoroughly imbued with a spirit 
of obedience to the Almighty One could preserve 
them in intelligence, in habits of thrift, and indus- 
try. " Nature's bounty and our gentle Winters," 
said Mr. Rose, " have made the farmers of this sec- 
tion indolent, as a class. Those in the Willamette 
Valley are far ahead of us." 

The meteorological conditions of Southern Ore- 
gon ought to satisfy the most inveterate grumbler 

about the weather. The seasons vary, indeed, in 

47 



550 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

the amount of cold, fog, snow, rain-fall, sunshine, 
and number of cloudy days. Less rain falls in the 
Umpqua, than in the Willamette Valley ; less than 
in the Puget Sound Basin, usually. But there are 
sliowers and all-day rains, even, from first of 
December to last of March, and sometimes later. 

Three times in thirty-four years have snow-falls 
remained on the ground ten or twelve days. The 
Winter of 1885, one of the coldest known here in 
many years, furnished one of these exceptions. Up 
to date — February 19th — the present season, not a 
flake has fluttered down, and wild flowers are bloom- 
ing on the hills. Animals, except those intended 
for domestic uses, are never sheltered, and rarely 
frd. Garden products may be left in the earth the 
^^ inter through, the ground never freezing to any 
noliceable depth. Often the farmer digs his veg- 
etables as they are wanted for the table. 

The benignity of the climate is evinced, also, in 
the class of dwellings almost universally erected, 
except for the wealthier families. They are frame 
structures, ''sided up" in the usual manner, and 
inside carefully lined with a thickness of rough 
boards; over the boards is tacked smoothly an un- 
Heached muslin, and upon this is hung a layer of 
wall-paper, expensive, or otherwise, according to the 
bank account of the owner. This gives them the 
name of " paper-houses," a term which sounds rather 
chilling to an Eastern person in midwinter. Walls 



THE SWITZERLAND OF AMERICA. 551 

and ceilings alike are so constructed ; thus lathing 
and plaster are entirely dispensed with. Frequently 
blocks of timber are the only foundation for the 
edifice. These arc concealed, and greater warmth 
secured, by extending the siding to the ground. 
"Are such dwellings comfortable in the rainy sea- 
son?" Not unless brisk fires are burning in the 
living rooms. Although not in the slightest danger 
of freezing, one feels the raw, damp air at his very 
bones, 

"What induced you to lay out a town here?" 
I asked of Mr. Rose. 

"In the first place," he replied, "I saw that it 
was a natural center for important wagon and rail 
roads. It was a chief point on the old through 
stage-route from Fort Vancouver to California, and 
also a notable rendezvous on a lengthy pack-trail 
of that day. Packers a»d traders passed here con- 
stantly. Then, Deer Creek and the Umpqua River 
offered splendid water-power for manufactures. It 
was the proper starting-point for a railroad to Coos 
Bay, sixty miles distant, and for a fine wagon-road 
to that marvel of the Cascades, Crater Lake, and to 
the Klamath Lakes beyond. Finally, the country 
around was exceptionally fertile, and the location 
itself was very beautiful." 

The man's reasons were sufficient, and subsequent 
events indorsed his foresight. Roseburg was soon 
made the county seat. In 1855 the great Indian 



552 



SOUTHERN OREGON. 



war broke out in Southern Oregon, and the place 
became a base of supplies for the troops sent to 
quell the emeute. Later came the Oregon and Cali- 
fornia Railway, by far the most important factor in 
the development of the town. An excellent wagon- 
road has been constructed to Coos Bay. The rail- 
road thither is sure to come. The little village has 
a model system of public schools, a faithful ministry 
in its Churches, and a strong Lodge of Good Tem- 
plars, among whom, just now, temperance interest 
is fanned to a white heat. 




1,1V. 

^AGI^SONYILLB, AND GOLD-0)lNING IN 
SOUTHEI^N Of^EGON. 



" OOUTHERN Oregon" contains three prominent 
O civil centers. These are Roseburg, just men- 
tioned, Jacksonville, the oldest and, historically, 
the most important town in the five counties, and 
Ashland, at the base of the Siskiyou Mountains, 
twelve miles north of the California line. As has 
already been remarked, the Oregon and California 
Railway unites the first and last of these communi- 
ties. But Jacksonville lies off the thoroughfare, 
five miles to the. west. Its railway station is the 
active, growing little village of Medford. Convey- 
ance to Jacksonville from this point is by stage, 
over a road decorated in Spring-time with frequent 
capacious depressions filled with water, and usually 
called mud-holes. The writer, with three other 
passengers, made the distance, one cold starlight 
morning in March, and distinctly remembers every 
rod of the comfortable way. They were the longest 
five miles I ever traversed. 

Our party set out at four o'clock. So arctic was 
the air, that to a heavy newmarket, as an outer gar- 
ment, I soon added a fur-lined cloak, and .still 

553 



554 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

suffered from the rigor. The driver, an obliging 
young man, full of vitality, seemed to be utterly 
unaware of the sudden descent of the vehicle into 
the pits. But its occupants, despite their resolute 
bracing of themselves, and their clinging to the 
straps, were all frequently in the center of the 
coach at the same time. We arrived in the place 
just at break of day, and at the hotel happily found 
the landlord, a shrewd Teuton, on the watch for us, 
with a glowing fire throwing out comfort from an 
old-fashioned fire-place in the office. As was quite 
sure to be the case, the day proved to be lovely, 
and I passed its hours in walks and talks about the 
interesting locality, at sunset retracing my way to 
Med ford. 

Like Roseburg, Jacksonville is encircled by 
stately hills. Shapely buttes pierce the air in all 
dii-ections. In the East, fully fifty miles away, 
appears Mount Pitt, a splendid snow-cone of the 
Cascade Range, apparently little beyond the out- 
skirts of the village. Far to the north, peering 
over the shoulder of a massive brown mountain, is 
discernible a snow point of exquisite beauty. This 
is " Diamond Peak," one hundred and forty miles 
distant. Both these are kingly summits, from which 
the robe of white is never laid aside. For ages it 
has been worn. It will be for ages still. 

Jacksonville owes its origin to gold discovery, 
as does nvduy another town of the coast. The metal 



JACKSON VJLLl'J, A AD (lOLD-MlNlNG. 555 

was lii'st lomul on its present site, in 1851, !)>• par- 
ties passing from California to the Willamette Val- 
ley. *'At that date there was not a white man living 
in the district now known as Southern Oregon." 
No sooner, however, was the discovery heralded 
abroad, than in flocked miners in large numl)ers, 
from California and elsewhere ; and in an incredibly 
short time, there were scattered among its hills and 
gulches between six and seven thousand men, all 
intently occupied in prospecting lor the precious - 
mineral. 

From time to time, one miner after another 
brought his family to the scene, and put up a rouiih 
frame tent for their shelter. Presently, other tem- 
porary structures followed, for the protection of 
stores and supplies. Thus Jacksonville sprang into 
being. In most instances its settlers were a fearless, 
energetic class of people, possessing marked charac- 
teristics. These same traits distinguish them to-day, 
as they do indeed many of the citizens of Southern 
Oregon. These persons, as the light-placer mines 
declined, finding themselves in a country whose 
soil was as marvelously rich in productive qualities . 
as were its hills and gulches in gold, gradually set- 
tled down to other pursuits, and thus resulted its 
present stable condition of society. Jacksonville 
contains less than two thousand inhabitants. It is 
the legal center of Jackson County, and is still the 
chief gold-mining point in Southern Oregon. 



556 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

As has been remarked, that wonderful stream, 
the Rogue River, is the main water-course of the 
county. From the hills everywhere tributaries 
flow into it. Much of the soil of the region, like 
that of a large portion of the State, is a rich, black 
alhivium, formed by the admixture of disintegrated 
rock and vegetable mold, for centuries past. The 
slopes of the hills and lower mountains, though of a 
gravelly character, contain almost every element of 
fertility. There are also extensive tracts where 
deep deposits of warm loam overlie a bed of thick 
clay. The county embraces many thousand acres 
of these varieties of valuable laud, and as a whole 
is considered unrivaled for fruit-growing and agri- 
cultural purposes. Crops are a certainty, annually. 
"The cereals have not missed a harvest in thirty- 
five years," said a gentleman, in reply to my ques- 
tions, who had resided in the county that length 
of time. 

But it is not of horticulture, nor of agriculture, 
important as those topics are, that I wish to speak 
in connection with Jacksonville, since much space 
has already been given to those interests as pertain- 
ing to Oregon, but of gold-culture, if I may be 
allowed the term. 

Viewed in any light, the subject of gold-mining 
is interesting. For the facts I have gained of the 
industry, as conducted both in Oregon and Califor- 
nia, I am greatly indebted to a citizen of Jackson- 



JACKSONVILLE, AND GOLD-MINING. 557 

ville, who has been familiar with every phase of 
mining from boyhood, and to a gentleman of Ash- 
land, possessing an extensive practical mining ex- 
perience. I here take pleasure in expressing my 
obligations to both for aid in preparing this chapter. 
That portion of Southern Oregon, known as the 
mineral belt, is from sixty to seventy miles long, 
and from twenty-five to fifty miles wide. Its de- 
posits are extnincly rich and varied, embracing 
gold, silver, lead, iron, copper, iridium, platinum, 
cinnabar, and other metals of less value. More dis- 
coveries of gold were made in 1885 than for some 
years preceding, and most of them are supposed to 
be valuable. 

To even approximate the amount of gold taken 
from the mines of Southern Oregon, between the 
years 1851 and 1885, is an impossibility, for the 
precious metal was carried out of the region by 
every conceivable mode — on mules, on stages, on 
pack-trains, by individuals, and by express com- 
panies, in large quantities. Nothing like an accu- 
rate record of the sum was attempted, nor could be, 
for the large force of men at work were not only 
scattered over a large extent of country, but con- 
tinually surged from point to point, as fabulous, new 
discoveries were reported, or as visions of sudden 
fortune rose up before their minds. However, the 
amount was by every one conceded to be very great. 
This was while the system of light placer-mining 



558 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

prevailed, and included the time down to 1865. 
Then the great body of the mining population 
drifted to more tempting gold-fields, leaving those 
more permanently settled, possessors of the ground. 
For the next ten years the steady annual production 
is estimated to have been at least half a million of 
dollars. From that date to 1885, another period 
of ten years, the yield per annum declined to not 
more than one hundred thousand dollars. This de- 
crease was attributable to the light yearly rain-falls, 
upon the plentiful ness of which the success of placer- 
mining so much depends. The Winter of 1885 
turned the tide again, the supply of water being 
abundant, and the amount mined footed up to about 
five hundred thousand dollars. 

At this juncture quartz-mining, encouraged by 
the aid of greatly improved machinery, began to 
be put to a practical test in Southern Oregon, and 
promised to become one of the most valuable indus- 
tries of the region, since the entire mineral belt is 
almost one continuous and compact net-work of 
quartz-leads, a large percentage of which are known 
to carry sufficient gold to pay for crushing. Early 
that year several quartz mills were in operation in 
the district, one of them at Jacksonville, where the 
writer saw it at work, and really accomplishing 
wonders in the way of reducing the ore to fine dust. 
This mill, known among mining men as the "Jones's 
Combined Crusher and Concentrator," included all 



JACKSONVILLE, AND GOLD-MINING. 559 

the late improvements, and excited universal in- 
terest. Tin; chief inventor, Mr. E. W. Jones, of 
Cincinnati, Ohio, was on the ground superintending 
its working. The important principle it involved 
was the handling the ore with the least possible 
labor, and the bringing every particle of the pulp 
in contact with the quicksilver, in order that not a 
grain of the gold l)e lost. Another matter of im- 
portance was the small amount of power reipiired 
to run the very complex and beautiful pirce of 
mechanism. 

Many years ago some of the quartz ledges in 
Southern Oregon were prospected with crude ma- 
chinery. But the trials were made when the gold 
excitement was at its height ; when, to secure less 
than half an ounce of the mineral daily, was con- 
sidered to be putting forth efforts unworthy a man's 
time or thought. Miners looked with contempt 
upon a quartz-lead in which they could not readily 
discern an abundance of " face-gold." But with 
the marked improvements in machinery, and the 
increased practical knowledge of quartz-mining, a 
new era in the pursuit, one rivaling all the past in 
value, seems to have been inaugurated in Southern 
Oregoi^ A fault of the mills with which these 
earlier efforts were made, and, indeed, all elibrts 
until recently, w^as that they failed to perfectly 
separate the gold from the baser minerals with 
which it is associated in the Icdi^cs. In this respect 



560 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

the mill the writer visited appeared to be a complete 
success, while its execution in crushing the ore was 
something marvelous. Indeed, a modern quartz- 
mill in operation is an object well worthy a long 
ride in the cold and through deep mud to see. And 
should the visitor happen to be presented with a 
small parcel of the liberated gold, the sight is all 
the more interesting. 

Hydraulic mining, also, is at present claiming 
much attention in Southern Oregon. The work is 
proceeding in several localities, giving employment 
to large numbers of men. Possibly the reader has 
not witnessed this forcible method of taking gold 
from the earth. If not, the description of the pro- 
cess, which follows the few preliminary paragraphs 
here appended, may be of some interest. 

It may be stated, in a general way, that all min- 
ing countries are, for the greater part, mountainous, 
and also that the presence, here and there, of scoria, 
trap, basalt, pumice, and lava, strongly indicates, if 
it docs not conclusively prove, that, at some time in 
the past, intense volcanic action has taken place, by 
which the mountains were heaved up and the deep 
canons among them were formed. In countries of 
this character, where the surface has undergone 
striking changes, new water-courses have made their 
appearance, plowing their way between the mount- 
ains and through the valleys. At the same time 
the ancient, or "dead river channels" still exist, 



JACKSONVILLE, AND O OLD-MINING. 561 

having their course through the elevations without 
any reference to the present streams. " Indeed," 
says Mr. Garfield, the Ashland authority referred 
to, "they generally cut existing rivers at right 
angles, and, as a rule, are situated far above them, 
in some instances, thousands of feet." Most of 
these dead streams as well as the living water- 
courses of Southern Oregon contain gold. As the 
ancient rivers obtained their treasure from the laud 
througli which they passed, so do the modern cur- 
rents get their gold by cross-cutting these old-time 
beds. And they are found to be rich in the pre- 
cious metals just in proportion to the wealth of the 
passages they have intersected. 

Into these dead water-ways the prospector for 
gold cuts his way w'ith pick and shovel, and with 
a pan "prospects the dirt" as he proceeds, until sat- 
isfied of its richness. He frequently finds these 
channels and gravel-deposits far up on the sides of 
mountains, or on elevated benches of land. They 
often contain gold from the top down, and in con- 
stantly increasing amount until the bed-rock is 
reached, and there the best reward is always ex- 
pected. These strata vary in depth from ten to one 
hundred feet, and many of them are much deeper. 

It was expressly to secure the treasure buried 
in these dead river-beds and gravel-bars, that the 
system of hydraulic-mining was invented. In work- 
ing them a large anioiiiit of earth must necessarily 



562 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

be removed, considerable mountains being sometimes 
washed away. To do this profitably, by other than 
the most approved hydraulic apparatus, would be 
impossible. 

Suppose, now, it is desired to work an ancient 
water-course fifty or one hundred feet above some 
river of to-day, the instrument by which it must 
be done is that powerful contrivance, known among 
mining men as the "giant," or hydraulic. Two 
things now become indispensably necessary : these 
are, an ample supply of water and sufficient pressure. 
How does he get them? Sometimes the water can 
be brought from the stream near which the pros- 
pector proposes to operate. In that case he ascends 
the stream such a distance, as, taking into account 
the fall of the water and the route it must traverse, 
will give him the required pressure. From that 
point he constructs a ditch of the necessary capacity 
along the mountain side to opposite the dead chan- 
nel, or gravel-deposit. There he erects a water- 
tight reservoir, called a bulk-head, to receive the 
water from the ditch. In some instances the fluid 
must be conveyed from a river thirty or fifty miles 
distant. 

Into the bulk-head the miner now inserts and 
securely fastens a large sheet-iron pipe, about two 
feet in diameter, which gradually tapers to a diam- 
eter of fifteen inches, and which is of a length suffi- 
cient to bring the water from the bulkhead down 



JACKSONVILLE, AND GOLD-MINING. 563 

the mountain-side to the giant, by which it is 
thrown against the gravel-hank with the speed 
and force of a cannon-ball, but with the decided 




Conveying Water for Mining. 

advantage that the blow is constant, and, therefore, 
resistless. 

It is now apropos to describe the giant, the most 
powerful of all known mining inventions, and yet a 
surprisingly simple device. It consists of a heavy 
sheet-iron pipe, about ten feet in length, strongly 
banded, and tapering gradually from its coupling 
with the pipe bringing the water from the bulkhead 
to the nozzle. Tiie size of the nozzle depends upon 



564 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

the amount of the fluid controlled and the height 
of the ditch above the mine ; for the greater the 
fall of the water, the greater is its power to force 
a given quantity through a nozzle of a given size. 
Tlie most effective size, probably, is one six inches 
in diameter. Sometimes there is attached to the 
nozzle an ingenious little contrivance, termed a 
''deflector." Its purpose is to direct the flow of 
the water without moving the hydraulic. But some 
miners consider this an unsafe appliance, because it 
turns the stream at so short an angle that the in- 
strument is liable to get the advantage of the piper, 
unless constantly on his guard. In that case he may 
get seriously hurt. 

The coupling is an important part of the hy- 
draulic. It consists of a combined oval and circular 
"knuckle," or joint, having a perfect pivotal and 
circular center, so adjusted as not to leak, and yet 
so complete in its action as to be entirely under 
control of the piper, who may elevate, depress, or 
turn it at will. 

The stream from the giant is applied at the base 
of the gravel-bank, next the bed-rock, thus under- 
mining it and causing it to fall by its own weight. 
At the same time the fluid is kept flowing upon 
the top of the bank, whence it percolates downward, 
softening and adding to the weight of the mass, 
until, finally, down it falls, "thousands of tons in 
amount, and attended with a roar like that of some 



JACKSONVILLE, AND GOLD-MINING. 565 

demon issuing from the realm of Pluto," and dash- 
ing a mighty mass of rocks, earth, and trees at the 
feet of the piper, whose life is thus often placed in 
great jeopardy, and is, perhaps, saved by instant 
flight. 

The matter thus laid low is now ready for the 
ax, sledge and nozzle. Well-aimed blows from the 
two former speedily dislodge the stones and trees, 
while the stream of water quickly reduces and bears 
away, in a conduit prepared for the purpose, the 
mingled earth, sand, gravel, and their attendant 
wealth of gold. This conduit is styled a "tail- 
race," and is either cut in the solid rock, or is con- 
structed of heavy timber. In the latter case it is 
called a flume. In breadth it may vary from two 
to eight feet, but in depth must be ample to allow 
the coarse cUbris to float away. If made of timber, 
there are fastened crosswise in the bottom several 
series of iron bars, termed " riffles." Their purpose 
is to catch the gold, which otherwise would be 
borne away by the water kept pouring through the 
race. If the race be cut in the solid rock, the 
natural unevenness of the stone secures the same 
result as the riffles. 

Moreover, at convenient points along the canal, 
"under-currents" are constructed, to facilitate the 
securing the gold. These are located wherever the 
descent will admit their introduction beneath the 
flume. An aperture is cut in the flume, above the 

48 



566 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

head of the under-current, which is spanned by 
strong iron bars. Over these bars the swift 
upper-current readily carries the coarser matter, 
while the finer material, with any gold that may 
have escaped the riffles, drops into the secondary 
races. By this means but a slight percentage of 
the mineral eludes the watchful miner. Of course 
great skill is needful in manipulating the water. 
The baser substances must not be carried off too 
hastily to allow the gold ample time to settle to the 
bottom of the conduit. This it is not tardy in doing. 
Their own weight soon causes the particles to sink, 
unless too small to resist the force of the liquid. 

In many instances the mineral is not in " nug- 
gets," however small, but in the form of precious 
sand. In such cases quicksilver comes to the rescue, 
as it does in the quartz-mill. To this end a quan- 
tity of the cinnabar is placed in a buckskin bag and 
sifted to and fro in the flume. The metal breaks 
through the bag in tiny globules, drops down among 
the worthless gravel and sand, seeks out the gold, 
forms an amalgam with it, holds it securely until 
"cleaning-up time," when the particles of married 
metal are collected, and divorced, by a process we 
have not space to describe, and the free gold enters 
the treasure-box of the prospector. 

Probably, after the giant has been at work from 
six weeks to six months, throwing against the bank 
of gravel a powerful stream of one thousand or 



JACKSONVILLE, AND GOLD-MINING. 567 

fifteen huiulred inches of water, the supply fails, 
the " dry season " having arrived. Then the mighty 
worker takes a rest until the next rainy period, and 
there begins at once the operation known in mining 
language as "cleaning up." Some of the men care- 
fully wash and search the bed-rock. Others cau- 
tiously remove the accumulated rock and gravel 
from the race. These tasks may be accomplished 
in a few days. They may consume the remainder 
of the year. All depends upon the quantity of 
bank washed away. Until this is done, water is 
kept flowing gently through the canal. But when 
accomplished, the fluid is partially turned off*; the 
riffles are removed, and the surface of sand is lightly 
rinsed away. Now appears the long-sought gold. 
It is carefully gathered up with spoons and knives, 
then washed, and weighed, and perhaps imme- 
diately dispatched to the United States Mint, where 
the Government stamps it with the "stars and 
eagle " and sends it forth to swell the circulating 
medium of the country. 

It would be well if the only fruit of hydraulic 
mining were the making of gold eagles plentiful. 
A far less desirable result is the overspreading fer- 
tile plains and valleys with the vast quantities of 
destructive debris which the giant produces. In 
Southern Oregon the devastation has proceeded to 
no great extent. But in California, where hydraulic 
mining was conducted for years, many of the fairest 



568 



SOUTHERN OREGON. 



acres of the State were desolated by the immense 
deposits of rock, sand, and gravel washed from the 
hills and mountains. The havoc continued so long 
as the mining interests of the State were considered 
paramount to those of agriculture. But when min- 
ing waned some, and farming came into prominence, 
it was discovered that burying fertile land in that 
manner, was an irreparable loss to the State. Where- 
upon the husbandmen went to work and secured 
from the Legislature a perpetual injunction against 
that class of mining, wherever waste of productive 
territory would follow. 




fISHLAND, All ipHB BASE OP THE SlS- 
I^IYOUS. 



AT an early period of Oregon history, probably 
in the Spring of 1852, quite a company of per- 
sons might have been seen making the toilsome 
passage of the Siskiyous, on their way to the even 
then famous Rogue River Valley. The party all 
located, if I mistake not, in the vicinity of this 
place. One of the number, who still survives to 
relate to history writers and inquisitive journalists, 
the harsh experiences of pioneer life, is Mr. A. D, 
Helman, the founder of the town. Being an ardent 
Whig, the man shared in the almost romantic at- 
tachment of his party for Henry Clay. This feel- 
ing, as he informed me, induced him to give to 
the Oregon town the name of Mr. Clay's Kentucky 
home, and also that of his own native village, 
Ashland, Ohio. 

The place is beautifully located at the junction 
of Bear and Ashland creeks, both swift, narrow 
streams, springing from the heart of snow-clad 
hills, and affording water-power sufficient to drive 
a multitude of mills and factories. The latter 

bisects the town, and is ten miles long. The former 

569 



570 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

flows by on one side, and after a journey of thirty 
miles contributes its waters to the marvelous Rogue 
River. Ashland lies partly in the arena and partly 
on the western side of an amphitheater of majestic 
hills, shaped into graceful cones and sugar-loaves. 
Often are these hills the scene of striking atmos- 
pheric displays. Yesterday, from my room in the 
hospitable home of Judge J. C. Tolman, the present 
surveyor-general of Oregon, I witnessed a snow- 
storm draping in white several bold hill-tops near 
by, and a few hours later there was thrown upon 
the grass half-way up these very elevations a 
broad rainbow of dazzling colors, not arched as we 
are accustomed to see them, but straight as lines of 
color could be drawn. On several other occasions 
short, perpendicular rainbows were seen standing 
on end upon the eastern hillsides. At another 
time one-half of one of these gay objects lay pen- 
ciled upon the green turf, while the remainder 
turned straight up toward the sky, forming a right- 
angled triangle. When the snow descended in the 
morning, almond-trees, hyacinths, jonquils, and 
dainty grass lilies were blooming unconcei'nedly 
in the valleys but a short distance below. Grandeur 
and altitude surround Ashland on all sides. 

Soon after his arrival Mr. Helman laid out the 
town on his own estate, and immediately began 
making improvements for the benefit of the scat- 
tered settlers, other parties joining him in the work. 



ASHLAND, BASE OF THE SISKIYOUS. 571 

Soon a saw-mill and a flour-mill were adding their 
cheerful whirr and hum to the music of the streams. 
The next year a post-office was added, and there- 
after for twenty-eight years Mr. Helman served the 
people of Ashland as their postmaster. The gentle- 
man retains vivid recollections of certain periods 
of great scarcity and want in the valley. One of 
these occurred in the Winter of 1853, that follow- 
ing the entree of his party into the region, and 
was occasioned by a snow-storm of unprecedented 
duration. 

This storm raged for eighteen days throughout 
the district. At that time flour for the settlers was 
obtained by pack-trains from Portland, a distance 
of over three hundred miles ; and meats, except 
wild game, came over the lofty Siskiyous from 
Yreka, California. Naturally, therefore, when the 
storm began, the supply of provisions among the 
Ashland families was limited. Rapidly fell the 
fleecy crystals, and soon the trails were impassable. 
"Neither men nor animals," said Mrs. Tolman, 
who also recalled the ordeal, " could leave the val- 
ley. Each night, and often during the day, fresh 
snow fell. Nearly every day, also, the sun shone 
warmly for a time, partially melting the latest in- 
stallment, which in turn froze hard the next night. 
And when the storm really abated, tlu; region was 
covered with a blanket of pretty solid ice, eighteen 
inches thick." Almost immediately, then, a warm 



572 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

rain set in, and, together with the melting ice, 
threatened to inundate the country. Presently the 
lower part of the valley was a wide sea. ButJiap- 
pily no serious results followed, and as quickly as 
possible in came the trains of little mules, bringing 
the necessaries of life, and relief to all hearts. 

The simple relation of such an experience, at 
this distant day, with plenty smiling in nearly 
every home in the valley, is an act far from pain- 
ful ; but to live three weeks with scanty stores 
daily diminishing, with hunger waiting to take 
seat at the naked board, is trial most unwelcome. 
Flour became excited at the prospect, and went up 
to one dollar the pound. Potatoes caught the fever, 
and sold at twenty-five cents and more per pound. 
Some families lived for days without bread. Wheat, 
if obtained at all, was cooked in the berry. In 
some homes wild meat constituted the bill of fare 
for three weeks. It is thirty-six years since that 
day, yet has no such fall of snow been witnessed 
in the Rogue River Valley. And in not more than 
two seasons, it is said, have herdsmen been obliged 
to drive in and feed their stock on account of 
the severity of the climate. Feeding, however, is 
now quite extensively practiced, because, the land 
having been "taken up," the ranges are limited. 

" What will the Rogue River Valley and its 
tributaries produce ?" I inquired yesterday of a 
citizen. 



ASHLAND, BASE OF THE STSKIYOVS. 573 

" Ask me what they will not produce," ho re- 
plied, " and I eau say that oranges will not grow 
here. But every fruit grown in the north tem- 
perate zone attains perfection in this soil. The 
region teems with all kinds of berries, and their 
flavor is delicious. Figs of good quality have been 
raised in the open air, and probably no spot on the 
continent is better adapted to peach-culture than 
are these foot-hills. The danger from frost after 
the trees are in bloom is reduced to a minimum. 
The fruit excels in size, flavor, and color. Many 
thousand peach-trees have been planted this Spring, 
more than in all the previous history of Southern 
Oregon. Every variety does w^ell — the rich, juicy 
])each to be eaten out of the hand, and the long- 
keepers fitted to be sent to distant markets. Thou- 
sands of prune-trees, also, have been set this 
Spring." 

" Indian bands roamed all around you in the 
early days. Did you find them friendly ?" 

"Yes, practically so. The Indians of this 
valley were a band of the famous Rogue River 
tribe, whose hot uprising in 1853-54 sent such 
wide-spread terror among the scattered white set- 
tlers ; but toward the people of Ashland they 
evinced little, if any, hostility. Volunteer com- 
panies were raised here to suppress outbreaks else- 
where." 

In addition to its oi-niul scenery, fertile soil, and 
4!) 



574 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

almost faultless climate, Ashland is noted on the 
coast for its mineral springs. They are scattered 
all about in the vicinity, sulphur springs particu- 
larly, and are doing their utmost toward giving the 
Oregonians pure blood, a clean skin, and flexible 
hair. Some of the latter are cold, others are warm, 
and all vary in medicinal properties. One of these 
fragrant fountains on any man's estate is said to 
considerably enhance its value. Two, one tepid, 
the other frigid, bubble up on the large farm of 
Judge Tolman, four miles outside the village. 
One, highly impregnated with the mineral, graces 
the property of Mr. Helman in the foreground of 
the place. Beside it is a trim little bath-house, 
fitted up with every appliance for taking the waters. 
All are perennial and as wholesome and palatable 
for animals as for men. It is claimed, indeed, that 
stock will pass by ordinary water to drink from a 
sulphur stream, and that they always choose the 
warm instead of the cold fluid. These cleansing 
fountains are inviting much company to the pretty 
town under the shadows of the Siskiyous. But 
numbers of them are wasting their odors on the 
much sweeter mountain air. 

It may be supposed from all I have said that 
brimstone is the only mineral which Nature stirs 
into the waters of Southern Oregon for her sons 
and daughters, and creatures, to drink. But the 
facts assert the contrary. She well knows there 



ASHLAND, BASE OF THE SISKIYOUS. 575 

are ailmcuts which sulphur will not cure. In cer- 
tain springs, therefore, she has skillfully mingled a 
variety of ingredients, with the purpose of eradi- 
cating a half-dozen diseases from a single mortal. 
Allow me to describe a visit I paid to one of these 
sources of health. 

Just after breakfast one Wednesday morning, 
toward the last of April, a bright little woman from 
Ottumwa, Iowa, Mrs. Tolman, her daughter, a sensi- 
ble bit of humanity, and myself, took seats in an 
open carriage, drawn by two misrnatched horses, 
and set out for the angle of country inclosed by the 
intersection of the Cascade and Siskiyou Mountains, 
ten miles distant, Mrs. Tolman acting as driver. 
Far up in this angle, on the very brink of a narrow 
stream, called Emigrant Creek, there wells up a 
fountain possessing manifold curative qualities, and, 
what is a little singular, its waters are totally unlike 
those of the current beside which it breaks forth, 
the latter having no medicinal virtues whatever. 
Nor is this a solitary instance of the kind. Along 
the margin of this creek, some miles apart, gush up 
other notable healing springs, their waters diverse 
from that of the stream. 

For half the distance, probably, our way led up 
the valley of Bear Crcok, with its green wheat- 
fieh's, its peach and cherry trees in bloom. Then, 
turning more to the eastward, we soon climbed a 
lofty spur, and, lo ! the earth stood uj) in points, 



576 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

ridges^ and summits, far as we could see. At its 
base swept Emigrant Creek, so named, said Mrs. 
Tolman, because, in an early day, Lindsay Applegate, 
a distinguished pioneer of Oregon, conducted several 
parties of emigrants into the Rogue River Val- 
ley over these sightly elevations and down the bank 
of this chatty stream. Mr. Applegate, now far ad- 
vanced in years, is a resident of Ashland. Like his 
son, Hon. Elisha Applegate, also a citizen of the 
place, he was by nature a friend to the Red Man ; 
was inherently just toward him, and never knew 
the slightest fear of him. His influence over the 
bands in these valleys was potent, and parties of 
white people guided by him were quite sure to reach 
their destination. 

The Applegates were a Missouri people, from 
about where St. Louis now stands, I think. They 
came into Oregon with the earliest emigrants — two 
or three families of them — encountering almost end- 
less hardships and perils; some meeting with death 
on the way, and others with hair-breadth escapes 
therefrom. They were a brave, intelligent, peculiar 
people, fond of books, possessed of strong person- 
ality, were naturally kind and sympathetic. Lindsay 
Applegate, a brother, Jesse Applegate, known all 
over Oregon by the sobriquet of " the Sage of 
Yoncalla," and Elisha Applegate, have all stamped 
their impress, more or less, upon Oregon life and 
affairs. The latter, the most unique of men, chose 



ASHLAND, BASE OF THE SISKIYOUS. 577 

to become a lawyer. His strong point is story- 
telling. Gifted with a marvelous memory, and ap- 
parently born to encounter the incredible in life, he 
has laid away a fund of extraordinary tales, with 
which he enchants of evenings nearly every fireside 
in the neighborhood. 

Now, take a look at that elevation on our left. 
Clinging to its side is a marvel in the shape of 
huge, dark-red sandstone rocks, piled up in posi- 
tions so precarious that none other than Cyclopean 
hands could have performed the feat ; and chiseled 
into figures so whimsical, that the waves must have 
exercised their talent for sculpture in shaping them. 
Those enormous stones are placed upon lilliputian 
ones, exactly as if by design. What a singular con- 
ceit was it to form that prodigious hat, of perfect 
Quaker pattern — crown large, brim broad — and 
place it top down upon that tall column of red 
sandstone! And what hater of reptiles fashioned 
that colossal toad, and then cruelly stationed it 
where, to the end of time, it must forego the pleasure 
of robbing bee-hives, or of clearing gardens of de- 
structive insects ? Geological speculation replies as 
follows : 

In the long by-gone of time almost all the ter- 
ritory now termed "the Pacific Coast" was covered 
by the waters of the great ocean, which extended 
as far eastward as the Blue Mountains in Eastern 
Oregon and Washington. As the ages rolled on 



578 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

there occurred three successive recessions of this 
vast sea, volcanic, or other agencies lifting up the 
bold mountain ranges, and forming corresponding 
depressions at the bottom of the deep. As the up- 
heavals took place the waters withdrew, until there 
existed the Pacific Coast of to-day, the Rocky, Cas- 
cade, and Coast Ranges marking the three vast 
abatements of the water. If this hypothesis be sus- 
ceptible of proof, it gives us the agencies by which 
most, if not all, the physical miracles of the Pacific 
Coast have been performed. 

But we have come several miles during this talk, 
and are now in front ^of an inviting hotel, with 
rooms for thirty guests, and conducted by Jacob 
Wagner, from Dayton, Ohio. Surrounding the house 
are fifty acres of land, very little of which was made 
to lie down. In front, behind us, to the right, to 
the left of us, massive mountains show their respect 
for mortals by standing. They are green to the top. 
Cattle range upon them ; trees clothe them ; swift 
streams leap from their heart. They crowd around 
us, narrow our horizon, but kindle our awe. A 
wilderness of rose-bushes forms a tangle in one cor- 
ner of the yard. Daisies, double, rimmed with pink, 
are scattered among the grass, making us careful 
where we tread, and mindful that flowers "crushed 
to earth " may not "rise again." 

But a few feet from the road, on the other side, 
comes to view again our friend, Emigrant Creek. 



ASHLAND, BASE OF THE SISKIYOUS. 579 

Willow, elder, wild-cherry, and a Iteanlifid shrub 
called Oregon grape, fringe its banks. On its verge, 
under a sort of Suniraer-house, bubbles the spring 
we have come miles to taste. A rivulet issuing from 
it dyes the stone rust-color, disclosing the presence 
of iron in the water. Other constituents are soda 
and magnesia in plentiful amount, with still others, 
all highly curative! To this fountain Nature in- 
vites such of her children as suffer from kidney 
troubles, the horrors of dyspepsia, typhoid, bilious, 
and some other direful fevers. And, wisely, the 
physicians of the region almost unanimously second 
her invitation. 

It may be added of Ashland that, blest with 
abundant water-power, the place is giving attention 
to niannfaetures. A woolen-mill, running four hun- 
dretl and eighty spindles and several knitting ma- 
chines, was established in 1868.- It works up from 
sixteen to twenty thousand pounds of wool ])er 
month, day and night sending its music abroad 
through the village. Its products are shawls, cloths, 
fiiio blankets, underwear, hosiery. There are also 
plaiiing-mills, saw-mills, a flour-mill, and cabinet- 
sliops in the place. 



I<VI. 



AMONG the pleasures to be enjoyed in Oregon, 
and, indeed, on the entire Pacific Coast, is the 
listening to thrilling accounts of the "crossing the 
plains" from the lips of surviving pioneers. Every 
locality, and every circumstance of the long, perilous 
journey, seems to have been stamped ineifaceably 
upon their memory. Even the brief parleys and 
conversations of the far-oif time are recalled as 
readily as though spoken but yesterday. That was, 
perhaps, the dreariest chapter of their lives, yet to 
this day does it exert upon them a strange fascina- 
tion, the charm of » which increases, apparently, as 
time removes them from the hunger, thirst, fear, 
and fatigue they endured. The evident pleasure 
with which the survivors turn the leaves of this 
book of the past, always strikes me as something 
inexplicable. Again and again, during my three 
years' journeying on the coast, have I sat spell- 
bound of evenings, until far into the night, listening 
to these recitals. Sometimes the fire has burned low 
on the hearth, the room has become chilly, and the 
younger members of the family — Oregon born — 

have dropped off to bed, one by one, and still the 
580 



A PECULIAR WEDDING-TRIP. 581 

narrator would go on, until I drew my chair into 
the cliininoy-rorner, and thi'ust my stiffened fingers 
toward the few embers glowing among the ashes. 
Finally, the end reached, I would retire, less to 
sleep than to think over the trials which befell the 
emigrant-train of which that friend formed a part. 

I remember to have called one evening, upon 
an eminent lady who had made the transit with one 
of the earliest companies seeking homes in Oregon. 
No sooner was some slight allusion made to her 
heroic life in the State, than the scenes of the ill- 
fated journey rose in her mind, and she at once 
began a graphic account of the sorrows and adven- 
tures of the distressful way. When she had con- 
cluded, it was no longer a mystery to me that even 
young girls, after months of such extraordinary 
drill, were ready for the desperate struggle with 
circumstances which awaited some of them upon 
entering these fair valleys. 

If to learn to be patient, to be vigilant, to act 
quickly in emergencies, to face danger unmoved, to 
suffer serious losses and not repine, to promptly as- 
sume sudden responsibility, to sacrifice one's self for 
others good, and to trust the Divine hand through 
all, be profitable training, then must many of the 
pioneer women of the coast have been educated in 
the true sense of the word. 

I had several times heard Mrs. Tolman refer to 
her journey from Iowa to Oregon, ,is her wedding- 



582 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

trip. So, a few evenings preceding our jiiunt up 
Emigrant Creek, happening to be seated together 
before a cheerful fire in the sitting-room, she with 
some b'ght work in her hand, I inquired of her : 

"In what year did you come to Oregon?" We 
had been talking about the early days, and the 
deeds of the Indians during the celebrated Rogue 
River War. 

''We came in the Summer of 1852." 

" There was a great immigration that year. Had 
you a large company?" 

" We numbered sixty-five persons and sixteen 
vehicles. Our company left Oskaloosa, Iowa," she 
obligingly continued to say, "on the 29th of April, 
Mr. Tolman and I having been married but two 
(lays previously. . Chiefly, the company was organ- 
ized at Ottumwa, my husband's place of residence; 
and being a man well qualified to settle disputes, 
and to allay controversies — such difficulties being 
liable to arise in every emigrant train, yoii know — 
he was unanimously chosen its leader. 

"Oskaloosa being on -^he route, the entire party 
accompanied Mr. Tolman thither, and were en- 
camped in the place at the time of our marriage. 
Then together, we set out for the Missouri River, 
by way of Fort Des Moines, as the city of Des 
Moines was then called. The morning was bright, 
and notwithstanding the home-leaving and the long 
farewells, all were in good spirits." 



A PECULIAll WEDDINO-TRIP. ^>S^ 

"Were there no ii)i(l(ll('-:iti;od men in the com- 
pany, that a yoniii; man should have been made 
general-in-chief?" I interrupted. 

"Yes, but my husband had before crossed the 
plains, and therefore possessed some exi)erience 
which was valuable ; besides he was much my senior, 
and older than you suppose." 

"AVere not sixty persons a small number to face 
the dangers from Indians, at that day?" 

" Not then, I think ; but ten, or even five years 
previously, to have attempted the journey with so 
small a party, would have been considered ex- 
tremely hazardous. Starting so early in the season, 
we found the roads over the prairies of Iowa in 
an exasperating condition. JNevertheless all went 
smoothly until we reached that point on the Mis- 
souri where now stands the town of Council Bluffs, 
that name being given to the Mormon settlement 
on its site, formerly known as Kanesville, by act 
of the Iowa General Assembly, in 1853. 

" We found encamped there a whole city of 
emigrants, awaiting their turn to cross the river. Its 
passage was not then effected in palace cars, nor by 
means of a bridge, marvelous as a piece of engineer- 
ing. As we were not entitled to {)recedenee, we 
were forced to tarry until our (.ppovtnnity came. 
This delayed us three days. But the 19th of May 
saw us all safely transferred to the western bank. 
And now, as before, my Imsband's two strong teams 



584 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

drawing our provisions, bedding, and clothing, and 
our carriage behind two valuable horses, preceded 
the long train. 

" That mode of urging the Star of Empire on 
its way westward, afforded the best of opportunies 
for the display of human nature. Exactly what 
men were, was sure to be disclosed by the inevitable 
trials of the trip, even in the absence of terrible 
dangers and misfortunes. This fact was illustrated 
by a trifling incident as we pulled out upon the 
broad prairies of Nebraska, which evinced the 
native traits of one of our number, as well as Mr. 
Tol man's method of adjusting a disagreeable matter. 

"A member of the company from Ottumwa had 
contributed to the general stock of provisions, a 
quantity of butter, honey, and other articles, con- 
senting to assist in the care of the train for his pas- 
sage. He now triumphantly claimed, that having 
provided ample food for himself for the trip, he 
was under no obligations to meet the engagement. 
Informed of this, Mr. Tolman quietly offered the 
fellow a tempting sum for his groceries, which he 
thoughtlessly accepted, and then discovered that his 
only expedient was to work for his transportation. 
Thus was brought to an end all discontent on his 
account. 

" Onward we moved, now, the fervid sun beating 
down upon our heads, but underneath our feet lay 
a carpet of green grass and wild flowers. Fre- 



A PECULIAR WEDDINQ-TRIP. 585 

qnently we passed acres of cacti and moss-roses in 
brilliant bloom, I must not forget to say that we 
had scarce left the Missouri ere the Pawnee and 
Omaha Indians began their anno}M'ng attentions. 
The Pawnees were incorrigible beggars, and at 
night swarmed about our tent, thick as mosquitoes, 
in the hope of obtaining certain articles which they 
greatly coveted. After enduring considerable of 
their maneuvering, Mr. Tolman sagaciously em- 
ployed their chief to conduct our train beyond the 
bounds of the tribe. Barely had the compact been 
closed, when a band of them sprang up right in our 
path. But upon espying their chief they as sud- 
denly disappeared. 

"A few days subsequently Ave were gladdened 
by a sight of the broad Platte Eiver flowing be- 
fore us. Owing to the ])resenee of quicksand, its 
unstable bed rendered our passage of the stream 
7iot a little dangerous. After a number of teams 
had crossed, the sand, stirred by the wheels of the 
wagons and the feet of the animals, itself set out 
on a journey, compelling the' remainder of the party 
to seek transfer elsewhere. Eight miles' travel 
then, up the south bank, brought us to Fort Kear- 
ney, where were two comfortable abodes and other 
reminders of the homes we had left. 

" Here rumors were afloat that cholera pr(.'vailed 
among the trains in advance of us. These were 
painfully confirmed, as we progressed in our course, 



586 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

by the sight of frequent newly made graves. Under 
the circumstances such objects were little calculated 
to promote cheerfulness in our ranks; for we were 
now in a region where water to quench thirst could 
seldom be obtained, except from the turbid Platte, 
and where our only fuel was dry weeds and buf- 
falo chips. Moreover, the heat was intense ; there 
was no such thing as shade. We could do but two 
things, advance or retreat. The latter was not in- 
cluded in our program ; therefore we hastened for- 
ward, resolved to both overtake and leave the 
cholera behind us. And this we actually accom- 
plished, but not until we had passed Fort Laramie, 
and were well in the Black Hills of Wyoming. 

" One day, while in the cholera district, we came 
upon a wagon drawn out upon the roadside. From 
it a man's voice called out, inquiring if there were 
a physician in our company. 

" ' Yes,' was the reply. 

" ' Will he kindly stop and see a woman who is 
ill ?' he asked. 

" Tlie doctor alighted, and found in the con- 
veyance a woman in the final stages of cholera. 
The company to which the parties belonged had 
sped on, leaving them to fare as best they could. 
Still further on the way we observed a freshly made 
grave, which gave unmistakable evidence of having 
been invaded by rapacious coyotes. A number of 
human bones lay scattered about, and on a narrow 



A PECULIAR WEDDING-TRIP. 587 

I)i( <»r hoard lying on the grouiul I road (lio iianio 
dl' an intimate friend wlio had j)reeoded us in the 
doleful journey hut a iew day.s. She left a family 
of four little children, the youngest of whom died 
shortly after. [At such terrible cost it was, in many 
instances, that Oregon was peopled by its present 
sterling class of inhabitants.] 

" About the 13th of June, our entire company 
was much enlivened by the sight of a most unique 
feature in the scenery before us. This was the so- 
called 'Sandstone Bluifs,' a massive body of rock, 
chiseled into columns, castles, towers, and other 
forms, apparently by the storms of centuries. To 
our overstrained feelings the scene was wonderfully 
refreshing. The following day, if I mistake not, we 
came upon another remarkable object, the ' Ne- 
braska Court-house,' a huge, natural structure, 
resembling a- vast stone temple in a state of ruin. 
It stands on the south side of the Platte, in striking 
contrast to the spiritless scenery around. It was a 
sight never to be forgotten. The next attraction 
was 'Chimney Rock,' looming up in the distance. 
AVe had been looking for it as eagerly as for a 
friendly beacon, and hailed the appearance of the 
spire-like column with joy. Its height above the 
plain is said to be three hundred feet. It remained 
in view all the next day, or until we had gained 
'Scott's Bluffs,' crowned with their inviting cedar 
groves. Our train had left the south bank of the 



588 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

Platte, and was now pa.ssing up the valley of its 
North Fork, with the surroundings increasing in in- 
terest every hour. 

"At last Fort Laramie greeted our vision. 
There Mr. Tolman, worn by anxiety, care, and 
fatigue, was ill two days. During the detention 
caused by this, most of the party added to the 
postal revenue by writing to their friends in Iowa. 
I myself happened to be so engaged, when a sud- 
den, wild wind-storm swept through the camp, 
wrenched my tent from its moorings, and sent my 
letter flying through the air towards home, thus 
cutting short my story, but saving the then heavy 
postage. I never learned whether the missive 
reached its destination, and never since have patron- 
ized that system of mail-carrying. 

" Upon resuming our course we were all barely 
well out from the fort, when there dashed up to 
our carriage a man mounted upon a burro, out of 
all proportion to his own size. The fellow was tall, 
finely built, had eyes like jet, had a Spanish com- 
plexion, and the air of a desperado. Appearing to be 
in great haste, he addressed my husband abruptly, 
saying : 

" ' Look here, stranger, I see you have two mules 
following this train, which you are not using. 
Now, I want them to help draw nly wagon, which 
you saw by the roadside, back here, to Yreka, Cali- 
fornia, where, I understand, you are going. And, 



A PECULIAR WEDDING-TRIP. 589 

nioro than that, I want to travel in your company; 
and when we get through, my wonum and J will 
just vacate the wagon, and you will be welcome to 
it, mules and all.' 

"'All that sounds well from a man I never 
saw before,' replied Mr. Tolman, much amused. 
' I doubt if those mules will prove of much value 
to y<iu, they have not been broken. But how do 
you happen to find yourself in such a fix ?' 

" ' Well, you see, I had two good mules when I 
left Texas, or, rather, another fellow and I started 
with two teams and one heavy wagon ; but one 
night he lit out with the best team, leaving me two 
little specimens like this, and they are not strong 
enough to pull us through. I can break 'your 
mules if you'll let me take them. I haven't 
any money, and can 't pay you a cent, but you shall 
have my wagon.' 

"^Take them,' said the chief of the company, 
curtly, and the fellow did ; and upon our arrival 
at Yreka delivered up the wagon, declaring he had 
no further need of it. 

" We now proceeded on our way without special 

incident until, one day, in the famous valley of the 

Sweetwater, word was brought to our carriage that 

a wagon in the rear had broken down. Going to 

the spot we found a family in a truly j)itiable 

plight, with one of the wheels of their conveyance 

crushed completely, and the women sitting by the 

50 



590 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

roadside crying, their judgment assuring them there 
was no such thing as repairing a ruin like that. 
Among our number were two bachelors, with a 
staunch vehicle now well lightened of its former 
store of provisions. To transfer to this, the pos- 
sessions of the unfortunates, and the unmarried 
men to our carriage, Avas but short work ; after 
which Mr. Tolman and myself each mounted extra 
horses of our own, and made the remaining seven 
hundred miles of the distance on horseback. 

" Upon entering the valley of the Sweetwater 
we were greeted with a fine view of that well- 
known object, ' Independence Rock.' Our route 
up the stream lay between two ranges of mountains, 
with majestic scenery on either hand. There were 
summits mantled with snow. The air was cold and 
bracing. Emerging from this valley, we next trav- 
ersed a desolate region now enlivened, if I mistake 
not, by the Oregon Siiort Line Railway, in its pas- 
sage through Idaho. We were here able to obtain 
water for ourselves and animals, only by digging 
new wells, as previous emigrants had done. 

"A great miracle of the way now presented 
itself. This was a series of colossal rocks, so dis- 
posed by nature, and so sculptured by the fingers 
of the elements, as to closely resemble a town, with 
buildings, spires, and towers. As our long train 
filed through the natural avenue traversing the cen- 
ter, we gazed awe-struck upon the peculiar marvel. 



A PECUrJAR WEDDING-TRIP. 591 

Very appropriate is the name ' City of Rocks ' 
which some one has attached to it. 

" I have omitted to mention that some days 
prior to this, we had tarried several liours beside 
' Black Rock Springs/ which mark the entrance to 
'Black Rock Desert/ so called from the Cimme- 
rian hue of the massive stones lying all about. 
Tluse fountains are scarcely less marvelous, as a 
production of nature, than is the silent city of stone. 
The water is extremely hot. A man of our train, 
who accidentally slipped into one of them, sprang 
out, a subject for the doctor's care. His desire to 
test the temperature of the fluid was fully satisfied. 
Here we fed the animals, and busied ourselves with 
cooking, and other preparations for crossing the 
'Alkaline Desert ' before us, which could best be 
traversed at night, owing to the powerful reflection 
of the light and heat from its white surface. A 
remarkable feature of the place, is, that the bodies 
of animals which have perished upon il, never 
decay. In Winter the depression is a lake. 

"At our next camping station, a young babe of 
our party yielded up its brief life. The little body 
was inclosed in a tiny coffin, made of the decking of 
one of our vehicles, and ])laced in a deep grave, 
which the men thoughtfully filled up with stones, 
that the flesh of the sweet sleeper, might be safe 
from the greedy coyotes. This, happily, was the 
only (loath in our ranks diu-ing the journey. 



502 SOUTHERN OREGON. 

"The next step of importance was our inva- 
sion of the realm of the Modoc Indians, who, just 
at that juncture, were in a particularly hostile fi-ame 
of mind. Owing to the fact that a train preceding 
ours had been attacked, and several of the company 
murdered by the savages, the people of Shasta 
County, California, quickly raised, and dispatched 
to meet us, a force of mounted volunteers, who, for 
two days before we entered the dreaded territory, 
formed our escort. Upon reaching Modoc Lake, 
the main road winds past a locality called Bloody 
Point. Here the band lay in wait for us, concealed 
among the tules, and watching our descent of a 
rocky bluff but a short distance away. Fortunately 
our guides, having discovered a ' cut-off ' leading 
around the lake opposite this lurking-place, con- 
ducted our train by that trail and brought us out 
into a pretty valley leading away from the Lake, 
ere the Indians perceived that they were outwitted. 
Soon, however, they were in hot pursuit. Our 
progress was immediately checked, and the vehicles 
were arranged in compact order to await their ar- 
rival. The warriors were much chagrined at our 
good generalship, but protested that they only de- 
sired to 'learn where we were going.' 

" But the following day proved the falsity of 
their words; for nine mounted men, members of an 
emigrant company behind us, also under escort, who 
did not heed the counsel given them, were attacked 



A PECULIAR WEDDING-TRIP. 593 

at 'Bloody Point' and killed, with a single excep- 
ti(Mi. The survivor being saved only by the speed 
of iiis horse; which ran until he fell, powerless to 
go further. The rider then wandered in the woods 
for some time, and finally emerged at the very spot 
where the animal had fallen, and there found iiim 
quietly cropping grass. Mouutiug the creature, he 
soon overtook our train and to Mr. Tolman and 
myself related the story. 

" We entered Yreka, August 14th, without the 
loss of an animal by the way, and having expe- 
rienced not a day's delay, except the two spent at 
Fort Laramie, and having made the quickest time 
of any emigrant party up to that date. After rest- 
ing a few days, we effected the passage of the Sis- 
kiyous, at that early day no trifling feat. The men 
and women, accomplished it on foot, w'hile the 
wagons were let down the precipitous sides of the 
range, by means of strong ropes wound around giant 
trees, and allowed to uncoil as the vehicles de- 
scended. In this fashion did we make our entrance 
into the beautiful Rogue River Valley." 



I<VII. 
Oyei^ the Sisi^iyous — Down the 

(sANON OP JTHE SaGI^AMBKTo. 



BEING not at all pleased with the treatment I 
received from the ocean, during my voyage 
from San Francisco to Portland last June, I deter- 
mined to return to the Gold State " overland," as 
they say on this upper coast. This decision, in part, 
had brought me into Southern Oregon. And now 
having spent ten weeks among its inspiring scenes 
and kindly people, I took seat, early one crisp morn- 
ing, the middle of April, in a coach of the Califor- 
nia and Oregon Stage Line, eight miles out from 
Ashland, and soon after began the ascent of the 
Siskiyou Mountains. The thoroughfare over the 
range, which winds up and up among the mag- 
nificent scenery, is a toll-road, and is usually in 
good repair. But heavy rains having fallen for 
days previously, the wheels of the vehicle often 
sank nearly to the hub in the thick, adhesive mud. 
The six strong horses strained and pulled, and were 
halted occasionally to take breath. At a quarter 
before eleven the summit had been gained. Then 
a single turn of the wheels, and wo were descend- 
ing toward the California line, which runs a little 

594 



OVER THE SISKIYOUS. 595 

south of the crest. Thereafter, until we reached 
the fine rolling valley below, notwithstanding the 
skillful driving, we were tossed, shaken, and thrown 
about in exceedingly amusing fashion. Neverthe- 
less the ride was a delightful one. I should enjoy 
repeating it to-morrow. 

Of the five passengers inside, one was a pretty 
little woman of Ashland, attended by two young 
sons, all bound to San Diego, where she had prop- 
erty she proposed to sell while the present remark- 
able " boom in that city was at its height," as she 
expressed it. At two o'clock we dashed up to a 
neat stage-station, quite from under the Siskiyous, 
for dinner. Leaving there with fresh toiims, we 
•wheeled along through Cottonwood, Klamath, and 
Shasta Valleys toward Yreka, the great stage-center 
of all the Northern California world, with noble 
Mount Shasta often in view, now on this side, now 
on that, according as we turned in our devious way. 
At the sunsetting, its head flooded with rich rose- 
color, it made a glorious appearance, and, as the 
twilight faded into night, all its tints softened into 
a flesh-like pink glow. Finally, the frequency of 
lights, and the sounds of many footsteps and voices, 
announced our arrival in Yreka. And, shortly, a 
pleasant voice at the door of the coach said : " You 
unload here." 

They were the words of Mr. A. H. Burrows, 
the general agent of the line, and a resident of the 



596 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 

place. The gentleman soon had the contents of the 
vehicle, men, women, boys, cloaks, umbrellas, and 
lunch-baskets out upon the f^idewalk, and in a mo- 
ment or two had learned the names and destination 
of all. Courteous, attentive to the wish of every 
passenger, and wonderfully executive, at the end of 
twenty minutes he had replaced all in a larger and 
more comfortable coach; had consigned us to the 
care of one of the line's most competent drivers, 
and, with a kindly "Good-night," had started us 
out into the cold and starlight again. As we rat- 
tled away, gratified with his thoughtfulness, all felt 
and said: "Mr. Burrows is just the man to manage 
a great stage-line." 

Some years ago the California and Oregon Staojo 
Line extended from Sacramento to Portland, a dis- 
tance of about six hundred miles. At the time of 
my journey the locomotives of the California and 
Oregon Railway had puslud the coaches off the 
route, until there remained but one hundred and 
twenty-five miles of stage-travel. To-day San Fran- 
cisco and Portland are united by railway. Certain 
considerations render this notable stage-line deserv- 
ing of notice. For many years it was the chief 
means of communication between the outside world 
and the miners and settlers in mountainous North- 
ern California. Tiiousands of persons and millions 
of treasure have its vehicles carried safely up and 
down the rugged region. Mining has long been a 



OVER THE STSKIYOUS. 597 

leading pursuit in that part of the State, and every 
Friday morning, an express messenger "comes up 
from below " — a phrase usually denoting San Fran- 
cisco, but applicable to any portion of the State 
south of the wonderful hill-country — on the stage 
to take charge of the treasure-boxes awaiting him 
at different points. In these boxes the crude gold 
is conveyed from the mines to the mint in San 
Francisco, the express companies being responsible 
for their safe delivery. These messengers have been 
going to and fro for years. Nevertheless, scarcely 
a day passes in which one or more treasure-boxes 
are not borne southward on the stage, intrusted to 
the driver. The passengers are never aware of the 
fact. Frequently the contents of a box are of great 
value. A heavy amount of gold, as I learned next 
day, came down with ourselves from Yreka. 

From time to time, in the earlier days, the coast 
was startled by reports that a great stage-robbery 
had been committed in this region. Such events 
have become more rare of late. But numerous are 
the tales afloat among the Siskiyou hills and gorges 
of exploits performed by daring "road agents." 
The experienced robber seldom stopped a coach on 
a down grade. And, usually, he was " too gentle- 
manly to plunder the lady passengers." Sometimes 
he left all the occupants unmolested, contenting 
him.self with securing the rich treasure-boxes only. 

The stage company provides relays of horses 
51 



598 NORTHERiV CALIFORNIA. 

every twelve miles, and, ordinarily, changes drivers 
every ten hours. But on important occasions a 
trusty man is kept longer at the lines. The kind- 
ness, intelligence, and civility of the men serving in 
this capacity are remarkable. Well acquainted with 
the country, they are ready to answer all questions, 
and are thoughtful of the traveler's comfort. A 
wearisome night-ride under the care of one of them 
sets forth his characteristics in good light. The 
line carries a heavy equipment in men, horses, and 
coaches. Fifty thousand dollars, it is said, main- 
tains the service one year. 

Promptly at six o'clock next morning the lines 
over our six-in-hand dropped beside the stage-office 
in Strawberry Valley, forty miles south of Yreka. 
Slowly the bruised and hungry passengers alighted, 
and made an effort to walk to the Mount Shasta 
Hotel, a few rods down the vale. It had been my 
intention to pass a couple of days at this point, but, 
upon perceiving that the place consisted of but two 
hotels and the station, I turned to the lady at my 
side and said: "I shall continue my journey. There 
is nothing to detain me here." 

She had been there before, and quietly replied : 
" See there." 

I turned, and almost at my side stood Mount 
Shasta frowning upon me from an awful altitude. 
Upon glancing in another direction. Mount Eddy 
confronted me, no farther away, and a regal cone 



OVER THE SISKIYOUS. oOO 

wrapped in dazzling white; while at the foot, of the 
valley a third white eoue shot up into the air. At 
the door of the hotel we were met by a fair mountain 
maiden, the daughter of Mrs. Fellows, the landlady, 
who invited us to seats before the mammoth fire- 
place in the office, wherein snapped and flamed a 
{)ile of wood, filled with resin. Shortly after, Mrs. 
Fellows herself appearing, upc^u learning my name, 
place of residence in the East, and the reasons for my 
gypsy life on the coast, said, in a most kindly way: 

" Now, you are not going on by this stage. I 
was brought up and married only forty miles from 
Cleveland, so I shall adopt you for two days. In 
that time you will get nicely rested, and will have 
acquainted yourself with the wonders of Strawberry 
A^alley. Besides, my brother is the stage agent 
here, and he will see that you have the outside seat 
going down the Sacramento Canon. You must not 
miss that scenery. Moreover, after dinner we will 
drive you to the head-waters of the Sacramento, 
another sight worthy your effort to see." 

These pleasant inducements shattered my reso- 
lution to proceed. So, after a nice breakfast with 
the lady after my companions had gone, and a re- 
freshing nap in a room sheltered by a great "Balm 
of Gilead tree," I sallied forth with Mr. Lamphier, 
the courteous landlord, a brother of Mrs. Fellows, 
to study Mount Shasta, the masterpiece among u 
ih'iii.sand surprising works of Xatnre. 



600 NOR THERN CALIFORNIA . 

The mighty mountain rises into the air a dis- 
tance of one thousand four hundred and forty-tour 
feet above sea-level. Strawberry Valley itself is 
three thousand five hundred and sixty feet above 
the ocean, and above this Shasta towers, a single 
august cone, ten thousand four hundred and forty 
feet. " Its base circumference measures eighty 
miles." Officers of the United States Coast Survey 
pronounce it the noblest elevation in America, with 
the exception of ISIount St. Elias, whose altitude ap- 
proaches seventeen thousand feet. Mount Whitney 
lacks the imposing presence of Shasta, but is slightly 
higher. In altitude Mount Tacoma more nearly 
e(juals the monarch than any other snow-cone of the 
coast. Mount Shasta is two hundred and seventy- 
five miles north of San Francisco, and over three 
hundred miles north of Mount Hamilton, the seat 
of the great Lick Observatory, above which eleva- 
tion it rises ten thousand feet. During my visit to the 
observatory one year ago its custodian informed me 
that, on clear days, he had been able to see Shasta, 
from that point, with the naked eye! The princely 
object is visible, also, from the State House in Sac- 
ramento. It can be seen by the mariner far out to 
sea, notwithstanding the intervening Coast Range. 
And, " in early days, it was an object of pleasure 
to the emigrant toiling over the parched stretches 
of Nevada." The distance in an air-line from the 
Mount Shasta Hotel to the extreme summit of the 



OVER THE SISKIYOUS. 601 

cone measures twelve miles. Yet it appears to rac 
to stand just beyond the garden fence. 

Anciently Shasta was a powerful volcano. P^'rora 
its now quiescent crater flowed streams of lava, 
desolating the laud for many square miles. The 
largest of these craters, one-half mile in diameter, 
is on the western peak. Inside this opening stands 
a cone of lava several hundred feet in height, sup- 
posed to be a product of the final eruption. At 
the base of this column lies a miniature lake of 
solid black ice, clearly showing how completely 
the old fires have died out of that side of the mon- 
arch's heart. But the eastern peak tells another 
story. There his vitality is something fearful, as is 
shown by a cluster of boiling springs covering 
about a half-acre of ground. The water of these 
fountains is highly mineralized, and in some of 
them boils violently, while from numerous fissures 
about, hot steam escapes Avith much ado. From 
one cleft a volume of scalding vapor ascends, which 
is two feet in diameter. On this spot a terrible 
rigor is said to prevail in Winter, yet both the 
water and the ground maintain their high tempera- 
ture. "Neither cold, snow, ice, nor altitude aifects 
it," says the Coast Survey. And — marvelous in- 
deed — on one side of this thermal peak exists a 
perennial glacier! 

For the following interesting paragraph relating 
to these hot springs I am indebted to Mr. Tjam- 



602 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 

phier, as I am for a great variety of information 
pertaining to Northern California. Let me say, in 
passing, that Mr. Lamphier made the ever-memo- 
rable journey across the plains in 1852, coming 
from Akron, Ohio, by the Carson Valley route. 
He has, therefore, been a resident of the coast 
thirty-six years. 

On the 28th of April, 1875, Professor John 
Muir, of San Francisco, and Lieutenant A. F. 
Rogers, of the Coast Survey, accompanied by a 
guide, made the ascent of Shasta to arrange for 
erecting a monument upon its highest point, as or- 
dered by the Government, at night returning to the 
valley. The next day Mr. Muir and an assistant, 
named Fay, went up, leaving Lieutenant Rogers 
below to answer signals. Several signs had been 
exchanged when, about two in the afternoon, a furi- 
ous storm arose on the mountain, putting an end to 
their work. Rapidly increasing in severity, it 
soon became a terrific hurricane, rendering descent 
impossible. There was then no alternative but 
to pass the night on the mountain. The men were 
provided with neither wraps nor means for making 
a fire. They therefore sought the hot springs, and 
rather than freeze to death, threw themselves down 
amid the scalding mud. The mercury registered a 
temperature below zero, and the cold wind swept 
over them with great force. Erelong the under side 
of their bodies was in torture from the heat. They 



OVER THE STSKIYOUS. 603 

then tiirnod the freezing part to the blistering soil, 
the cold air partially soothing their sufferings. 
Now they lay with faces downward, now upon 
their backs, as the heat or cold rendered their 
position unendurable. Thus, at last, the night wore 
away. The morning dawning, both managed to 
get upon their feet and begin the descent, though 
wild with pain and weak from loss of sleep 
and food. 

At daybreak, too, their friends in the valley were 
astir, making preparations for their rescue. Upon 
gaining the camp, some eight miles up the mountain, 
and the point beyond which conveyances are not 
taken, they met Mr. Fay, who had best preserved his 
strength. Administering to his comfort, the friends 
pushed on in search of his companion, whom they 
finally found, too crippled to walk. Placing him in 
a blanket they conveyed him to the camp, and 
thence brought both to "Sissons," the hotel across 
the way, where Mr. Lamphier assisted in dressing 
the injuries of Professor Muir, one side of whose 
person was severely blistered ; and so disabled were 
his feet that, upon his heroically taking a seat in 
the stage for San Francisco the second day follow- 
ing, they stoutly refused to be thrust into shoes, 
choosing a covering of cloths and blankets instead. 

" Notwithstanding his harsh treatment on that 
occasion," said Mr. Lamphier, " the professor has a 
warm affection for the old mountain. Once he 



604 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 

camped about its sides, alone, for five days, quietly- 
studying its geological formation, while his friends 
in the valley were scared to death about him, lest, 
he had been devoured by wild beasts." 

In October following this incident, the Gov- 
ernment erected upon the highest point of the 
mountain, to serve as a guide to the mariner on the 
Pacific, a hollow, cylindrical iron pillar, crowned 
with a cap of polished metal, for reflecting the sun's 
rays. The column is eighteen and a half feet high, 
is strongly anchored to the rock, and is filled with 
stones. With the aid of a good glass, it can be 
seen one hundred miles away. 

Entering the room where I sat, writing, soon 
after dinner, Mrs. Fellows, who is a woman under 
medium height, extremely active, chatty, mirthful, 
independent, generous to a fault, and full of sym- 
pathy for the suffering, said : " I have ordered the 
light wagon to take you on the promised ride. I 
am going a part of the way to catch some trout " — 
she was an expert angler — " for our breakfast. So 
be ready." 

Accordingly four of us, including the daughter, 
and a young gentleman who appeared to find pleas- 
ure in going wherever she went, rattled off through 
the woods toward the base of a massive mountain, 
near the head of the valley. Half the distance ac- 
complished, the angler alighted, bait, hook, and line 
in hand, and marched away toward a favorite haunt 



UVKR THE SISKIYOUS. (JUo 

of tlu' delicious fish she souglil. We, who re- 
inaiued, rode on until Avithin a few rods of our ob- 
jective point, when, leaving the vehicle, we threaded 
our way among underbrush and tall trees, to a point 
where the sound of merry water broke upon our 
ears. Then an^^ther step or two, and lo ! what 
a sighl I 

From the very base of an enormous cone, tlie 
steep sides of which were clothed with heavy tim- 
ber, there broke forth, and rolled away anion i; trees 
and over stones, a multitude of swift, tiny streams. 
On they went, singing, tumbling, foaming, down a 
narrow valley. They issued from all along the base 
of the mountain, for a distance of, probably, two 
hundred feet. For one-half that space the water 
stained the ground and stones a dull red, showing 
the presence of iron in the liquid. The remainder of 
the streams were of a clear white or soft green color, 
proving that all either spring from two sources 
within the cone, or flow through beds of different 
jniueral deposit. The whole scene instantly sug- 
gested the idea that a mighty Hand had set the pon- 
derous dome of rock down upon a small lake, iu 
such position as to forever press out, on one side, 
exactly so nuich water. 

This, then, was the source of the main fork ol' 
tiie Sacramento Kiver, down whose remarkable 
gorge I was soon to have the pleasure of riding an 
entire day. The source was certainly worthy of 



606 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 

the stream. I climbed the mountain to a few feet 
above where the rivulets break forth, and turned to 
watch them. A little way down the valley they all 
became one. I could hear their low laughter as 
they gradually sought each other's company, and 




A California Scene. 
then together .sped away to find the sea through 
the Golden Gate. 

Quite too soon came six o'clock Thursday morn- 
ing, and also " the stage for bel(»w." But I desired 
to be in San Francisco next day ; so, bidding the 



OVER THE SISKIYOVS. 607 

kind friends in peerless Strawberry, farewell, I 
mounted to the seat so courteously reserved for me 
beside the driver, and away sprang our triple-team 
toward the banks of the Sacramento. A couple 
of hours' winding among lofty hills, through de- 
lightfully romantic scenes, brought us to the deep, 
green-tinted river. Thereafter, the entire day, we 
crossed scores of its tributaries hurrying down the 
the steep heights. Now our road lay close to the 
brink, almost on a level with the water ; and now 
on the crest of a long spur, hundreds of feet above 
the swift current. On every hand, all day long, 
rose stately trees and grand elevations, relieved, 
occasionally, by inviting valleys. About noon our 
outfit swept out upon a green plateau, in the midst 
of which appeared the hotel and orchards of Hazel 
Creek, a favorite Summer resort among the Sacra- 
mento hills. 

As the hungry six-in-hand trotted up to the 
gate, the proprietor, Mr. S. F. Southern, stepped 
out, and, with a manner not a tithe so lofty as the 
country around him, invited us in to dinner. Thirty 
minutes later, ourselves refreshed, and a new relay 
of teams before the stage, we pressed on, amid 
splendid scenery, until, the sun gone down, we 
wheeled into a little hamlet of but a day's growth, 
for the night. 

Almost infinite had been the variety of scenery 
through which we had come. Countless were the 



608 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 

cones, pinnacles, and ridges into which the Creator 
had pulled the earth up. Some of the cones he 
painted white to the end of time ; others he gar- 
nished with trees, forever green; many he filled with 
gold, silver, or iron ; down the sides of hundreds he 
led narrow streams, foaming, and full of glee, the 
delight of every lover of running brooks; between 
scores he sank canons, or gorges, deep, and some- 
times dangerous ; multitudes of them he carpets in 
Spring-time with flowers, fragrant and beautiful, 
and millions in number; where it pleased him, he 
piled up rocks massive and mighty, capable, one 
would think, of resisting the "fervent heat." which, 
St. Peter says, shall melt the elements in the last 
days ; where it pleased him, too, he placed a world 
of slabs, or blocks of stone, and allowed chemical 
action, or subterranean fire, to tip them aside from 
the perpendicular, making them suggestive of man- 
kind bent out of moral perpendicularity by the force 
of original sin. 

The little hamlet being the latest termination of 
the stage-line, we took cars next morning for San 
Francisco, and by mid-forenoon were at Redding, 
an attractive city in the Sacramento Valley, which, 
from that point, expands into a broad plain, finely 
cultivated, or gemmed with natural parks. Down 
this wide campaign coursed the iron horse the hot 
day long. And as the sun set, we once more caught 
sight of the sea through the Golden Gate. 



^' •/>. 



